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PREFACE, 



On adding one more to the numerous 
topographical works which are already 
before the public, some apology might 
be deemed necessary, were not the fol- 
lowing pages descriptive of a part of 
the united kingdom, which, though 
confessedly interesting, has hitherto re- 
mained very imperfectly known. The 
Lake of Killarney, however, has not 
wholly escaped notice : in every ge- 
neral account of Ireland its extraordi- 
nary beauty has been dwelt on ; it has 
been the theme of the poet; and has 
afforded subjects for a great variety of 



IV PREFACE. 

fully employed, have, at least, glided 
agreeably away, while he was enga- 
ged in retracing those scenes which 
had formerly given him so much de- 
light. That the work might have been 
rendered much more attractive by an 
abler pen, he feels very sensibly; but, 
whatever its imperfections may be, he 
ventures to lay claim, at least, to the 
merit of fidelity. 



CONTENTS, 



SECTION I. 

General description of the three Lakes of Killarney — Mucruss— 
Turk cottage and cascade.>^Mines and minerals of the peninsula 
between the lakes — Geological observations. — Abbey of Irrelagh 
^ts antiquities — still a favourite place of burial. — Funerals of the 
Irish — ^strong expressions of grief — vehemence of their passions. 
— Description of the islands near Mucruss — ruins of Castle lough 
— Cahirnane — Kenmare house and gardens. — Observations on 
the bogs of Ireland, and the large trees found in them. — General 
description of the northern shore of the great lower lake. — Extra- 
ordinary eifects of sun-set. — The Earl of Kenmare's deer-park. — 
Hill of Aghadoe — its antiquities. — Ruined cathedral and abbey 
— round towers — great antiquity of these buildings — review of 
the various theories respecting their probable uses. — Stone circle. 
— ^Ancient fortifications near the river Flesk. — Dunloh castle — 
defile called Dunloh Gap — road through it to the upper lake.— - 
Macarthy-more's country. 

SECTION II.— Page SS, 
Remarks on the navigation of the lake. — Ross castle — some account 
of its siege and capture by the parliamentary army — Ross island 
— destruction of its woods — impolicy of felling timber premature- 
ly. — Wandering musician — Mines of Ross — re-opened lately- 
ancient tools found there. — Project of draining the lake. — Marble 
quarries. — 0*Donoghoe's prison — legendary account of the an- 
cient prince of that name. — Innisfallen island — ^fruitful yew — 
monastic ruins.— Observations on the state of Ireland during the 
dark ages. — Early Irish manuscripts. — Annals of Innisfallen and 
others— specimens thereof. — Remarks on the ancient history of 
Ireland.— Description of the ruins of Innisfallen, — Decline of 




^'Tf^i^ 



O.OL -^M 



SECTION L 



The Lake of Killarney is situated nearly in the centre 
of the maritime county of Kerry, on the confines of 
a chain of lofty mountains. The space included be- 
tween this chain and the ocean, on the west, contain- 
ing upwards of thirty square miles, is entirely occu- 
pied by other mountains of still greater magnitude. 



amongst which are those called Magillicuddy's reeks, 
computed to be the most elevated in Ireland. In 
general, the disposition of these mountains is very 
irregular ; but, as they approach the sea, they form 
short ridges, terminating on the coast in bold and 
rugged headlands. 

This mountainous region abounds with lakes. 
They are mostly found in the depths of the valleys ; 
but some are situated on the sides of the mountains, 
at a great elevation, in cavities resembling the cra- 
ters of volcanos. The one known by the name of 
the Devil's Punch-bowl, near the summit of Manger- 
ton, in the vicinity of Killarney, is at least fifteen 
hundred feet above the level of the sea ; and after 
.. heafy rains dischai;ges a large stream, which rolls 
'ifewn the jai)unp^ dis- 

tinguishable by their white foam at the distance of 
many miles. 

Of these numerous lakes, the largest, as well as the 
lowest, is that of Killarney. It may be considered, 
indeed, an immense reservoir for the waters of the 
surrounding country, supplied by the overflowings of 
other lakes, by rills from the adjoining mountains, 
and by rivers which fall into it after having been 
augmented during their long course by countless tri- 
butary streams. The only outlet to this extensive 
basin is the clear and rapid river Laune, which con- 



veys the surplus water into the Atlantic ocean through 
the bay of Dingle. 

Nor is Killarney less pre-eminent above all the 
other lakes of Kerry, on account of beauty than ex- 
tent : for whilst the shores of the latter bear no tra- 
ces of cultivation, and are rarely distinguished by 
any striking features from the dreary wastes which 
surround them, its enchanting banks, singled out as 
it were by Nature for the display of some of her 
choicest productions, present^ the charming variety 
of a rich and adorned landscape, contrasted with the 
picturesque wildness of mountain and forest scenery. 

The lake consists of three distinct bodies of water. 
Of these, the first, which is called the upper lake, 
lies embosomed amidst the mountains : the others, 
situated at the exterior base of the chain, are bound- 
ed at one side alone by mountains ; and in the oppo- 
site direction they open to a cultivated country, 
whose surface is diversified by innumerable hills. 
The two last divisions are nearly upon the same le- 
vel, and lie contiguous to each other,, being sepa- 
rated merely by a narrow peninsula, and some small 
islands, between which there are channels passable 
for boats ; but the upper lake stands three miles dis- 
tant, at the head of a navigable river which flows 
through a romantic valley or defile. Near the ter- 
mination of its course, this river divides into two 



4 

branches, one of which flows peaceably into the bay 
of Glena, on the great or lower lake ; the other, for- 
cing its mazy way through a rocky channel, issues 
with considerable impetuosity into the middle lake, 
under the woods of Dinis island. 

The first mountain in the chain we have described, 
beginning at the east, which meets the waters of Kil- 
larney, is that of Turk. It forms the boundary of 
one entire side of the middle division of the lake ; 
from which circumstance the latter receives the name 
of Turk lake. Beyond this mountain there is a de- 
file in the chain, through which flows the river from 
the upper lake. 

The next mountain in succession is called Glena. 
It projects, as may be observed on the map, beyond 
the line of Turk, so as to present two sides to the 
water : one of them overhangs the bay of Glena ; 
the other opens to the broadest part of the lower 
lake. Both these mountains rise abruptly from the 
water, and are marked by numerous bold breaks and 
projecting rocks. They remain nearly in a state of 
nature ; no roads, no proprietary boundaries, are ob- 
servable on their surface, and they exhibit few traces 
of cultivation. 

Tomies mountain, the next and last in succession 
which is washed by the lake, rises more gradually 
than the others, and at its base presents to view a 



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considerable tract of fertile sloping ground, which is 
under cultivation. ' 

Not long since all these mountains were clothed 
down to the water's edge with oaks of large growth ; 
most of these venerable trees, however, have fallen 
under the axe, which has been busily plied year af- 
ter year. On that side of Glena next to the bay, a 
considerable extent of wood still indeed adorns the 
landscape ; but even this last surviving remnant of 
the vast mountain forests of Kerry has been doomed 
to perish ; the woodmen have already commenced 
their ravages ; and in a short period the landscape 
will be deprived of one of its richest ornaments. The 
destruction of these forests is principally attributable 
to the manufacture of iron, — a business once carried 
on with great spirit in various parts of the county, 
and for which an abundant supply of charcoal was 
required. As fuel became scarce, the iron-works 
declined, and at last they were totally abandoned. 
The woods are now cut for other purposes, as timber 
in this country is become extremely valuable, in con- 
sequence of the prodigal use that was formerly made 
of it. 

The hills which bound the lake, on the side oppo- 
site to the mountains, in general, slope gradually 
down to the water ; but in one part, between the ri- 
ver Denagh and Castle-lough bay, for a distance of 
about two miles, a tract of low and level ground inteiv 



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venes between them and the lake. This level ground, 
in itself the least interesting part of the shores of 
Killarn^y, becomes of importance to the general eft 
feet of the scene, from the striking contrast it offers 
to the opposite mountains, and the apparent increase 
it gives to their height. 

The town of Killarney, from which the lake takes 
its name, is situated on this flat at the foot of the 
hills. 

In attempting to communicate a more intimate 
knowledge of the varied scenes of Killarney, I shall 
begin with the demesne of Mucruss, which stretches 
from the foot of Turk mountain along the eastern 
borders of the middle and lower lakes : and here I 
shall beg leave to direct the attention to the three 
first plates, which severally contain views taken from 
an eminence called the Green Hills. Engravings 
destitute of the assistance of colours, upon whose 
harmonious combination so much of the pleasure 
which we derive from the contemplation of the works 
of nature depends, are at best but ill qualified for the 
purposes of landscape ; and the small scale to which 
these have necessarily been limited, sensibly dimi- 
nishes the interest of the subject ; but it is presumed 
that they will still be instrumental in elucidating the 
description. Indeed, even the haopiest powers of 
the pencil itself would be baffled in the attempt to 



pourtray the innumerable beauties in this enchant- 
ing scene. 

Shade unperceived so softening into shade, 
And all so forming an harmonious whole, 
That, as they still succeed, they ravish still. 

The distance of the spot where these views are 
taken, from the Water, is about half an English mile j 
the intermediate space is occupied by a park richly 
adorned with woods, over which the spectator is sup- 
posed to look down upon the lake. 

In the first plate, an outline is given of the pros- 
pect from south-south-west to north-north-west ; and 
the mountains are distinguished by name. The other 
plates, as may be readily observed, are only finished 
views of parts of the same scenes.* 

Turk mountain, from this station, appears nearly 
insulated, owing to the defiles at each of its extre- 
mities. One of them affords a passage to the river 
from the upper lake, and through the other runs a 
wild road leading from Killarney to Nedheen, a town 
situated at the head of a large estuary of the south- 
western coast, called Kenmare river. The water at 



* It was the original design of the author to have given one or 
more panorama views, from different stations ; but the artist who 
was employed upon the first of them having failed of producing the 
effect that was intended, and which perhaps was not attainable on 
so small a scale, it was judged expedient to break the plate, and 
not to attempt others on the same plan. v 



8 

the foot of this mountain Is a part of Turk lake. The 
bold promontory observable on the near shore of the 
lake, is a remarkable mass of marble, whose pale blue 
colour sometimes blends insensibly into that of the 
water, sometimes forms a strong contrast to it, ac- 
cording as it is influenced by the changes of the at- 
mosphere : it remains dark when the lake assumes a 
bright silvery hue ; on the contrary, when a lower- 
ing sky throws a gloom over the waves, it is as con- 
spicuous for its brightness. 

The rugged heights to the right of Turk form one 
side of the defile through which the river flows from 
the upper lake. 

The water beneath Glena mountain is apart of the 

bay of the same name, on the lower lake, between 

which and Mucruss house are seen the woods of the 

peninsula which separates the middle and lower lake. 

Tomies mountain, which has a double peak, is the 

next in succession to that of Glena ; the others qi 

the same chain lie concealed from this point of view. 

The low shore to the right of Tomies mountain is 

the most remote part of the lower lake, distant from 

the spectator about six miles. The mountains above 

it overhang the northern ^hore of the bay of Dingle, 

which opens to the Atlantic pcean, at the further 

distance of thirty miles. 

The different points of land in the middle distance, 
which intercept the view of the remote boundary of 



the lake, are islands ; amongst which that of Ross 
appears conspicuous, from its castle ; and the hills ap- 
pearing above these islands skirt the northern shore 
of the lake. 

The demesne of Mucruss is not less remarkable 
for its internal beauty, than for the variety of noble 
prospects which it commands of the lake and adja- 
cent mountains. Diversified in the most pleasing 
manner with hill and dale, parts of it are spread into 
lawns clothed with the richest verdure, and adorned 
with graceful trees ; others are broken with marble 
rocks, around which native vines extend their wan- 
ton tendrils -, others are over-run with a wild en- 
tangled forest. On one side a ruin, venerable from 
its antiquity, rears its mossy towers amidst embow- 
ering groves ; and in an opposite direction, down the 
wooded mountain, a cataract 



In headlong torrents hurls 



His sounding waters ; while on every cliff 

Hangs the light foam, and sparkles through the gloom, 

The entrance is in a decayed village, once the 
flourishing seat of an iron-manufactory, and it does 
not prepossess the imagination in favour of the place 
to which it leads ; but the charms of the scene are 
quickly revealed after passing it. At first the road 
runs over hills of easy ascent, in the interior of the 
demesne j afterwards, winding towards the lake, it 



10 

continues along the shore, passing through thicketis 
which afford variety by occasionally intercepting the 
view of the water. The house stands near a grove* 
not many yards from the lake : it is not advantage- 
ously situated with regard to prospect; but in a 
more elevated position it would perhaps have been 
deprived of shelter, so necessary to domestic com- 
fort, and been exposed to the dreadful whirlwinds 
which descend from the mountains during the win- 
ter season. The fabric is old, and seems to call for 
repair ; but the attention of the proprietor is, at pre- 
sent, chiefly directed towards the improvement of 
the borders of the middle lake, in the vicinity of a 
small house or cottage lately built at the foot of the 
mountain. Extensive plantations of forest trees have 
been made at this place, stretching from the water 
nearly half way up the mountain ; and the improve- 
ments are annually continued by the proprietor with 
skill and enterprise. Of the grand effect they will 
produce at a future day, if they are allowed by the 
succeeding possessors to arrive at maturity, some no- 
tion may be formed from the prospect of the ancient 
hanging woods on Glena mountain, which appear 
above the islands at the extremity of the lake. 

It is painful to reflect how much the beauty of the 
lake has been impaired by the destruction of the fo- 
rests ; and still more painful to learn that the few re- 
maining venerable trees have been devoted to the 



11 

axe. By their removal, the scenery is likely to sus- 
tain an injury irreparable during the present genera- 
tion ; but the vigorous efforts of Colonel Herbert to 
form new plantations, afford a ray of hope, that, at a 
future day, many of its former charms may be resto- 
red. Every person who visits Killarney must feel in- 
debted to that spirit of improvement which displays 
itself amidst so extended a system of devastation. 

Though the landscape has, on the whole, been im- 
proved by the alterations which have been effected 
in the vicinity of Turk cottage, yet objections may 
perhaps be started against some of them for not ac- 
cording with the general character of the scenery. 
It may admit of doubt whether the smooth shorn 
surface of the meadows between the cottage and the 
lake does not present too striking a contrast to the 
ruggedness of the mountain, and aflbrd too glaring 
an instance of the compulsory powers of art. The 
ground abounded with rocks, which were removed 
from it with much difficulty ; and although where 
man resides, nature must be conquered by his perse- 
verance and ingenuity, yet " it is only the ostenta- 
tion of the triumph," as a professor of landscape 
gardening observes, " and not the victory, that ought 
to offend the eye of taste." The present trimness of 
the ground is said to be imputable to the over-zealous 
exertions of the agents who were employed to clear 
the spot during the absence of the proprietory 



12 

and, to remedy this mistake, it has been proposed to 
replace some of the rocks in their ancient beds. But 
the labour and expense of such a task, were it indeed 
feasible, would be a paramount objection ; and, to 
re-clothe the rocks with moss, and restore the pictu^ 
resque attire of nature, would probably be a vain at- 
tempt. It was well observed formerly, by the inge- 
nious Bishop Berkely, " that the king of France 
might lay out another Versailles, but that with all 
his revenue he could not lay out another Mucruss.'* 
The cottage is a simple and rather pleasing build- 
ing, with an arched porch in front, after the ancient 
English style. The little lawn before it is watered 
by the clear and rapid stream which flows from Turk 
cascade; and across it has been thrown a Gothic 
bridge, whose dimensions, if intended merely to faci- 
litate the approach to the cottage, and beyond it the 
mountain is quite inaccessible to horsemen, appear 
more than commensurate to the object; but it is 
said that a new road has been planned to run from 
the demesne of Mucruss to the upper lake, across 
this bridge. After traversing the delightful glades 
of the demesne, this road would stretch for two miles 
along the border of the lake, at the base of Turk 
mountain ; then gradually winding to the left, it 
would follow the meandering course of the river 
which flows through the defile, and finally reach the 
retired confines of the upper lake. Scarcely would 



13 

it be possible to find in any country a road more di- 
versified and beautiful. The most picturesque scenes 
of Killarney would then be disclosed to view, and 
the shores of the upper lake rendered easy of access, 
to which the passage is, at present, impeded by a 
thousand difficulties and delays. How many anxious 
and curious visitors would then enjoy the varied 
scenery of the upper lake, who now retire from Kil- 
larney, lamenting its troubled waters and its stormy 
skies ! 

The view from Turk cottage is grand and solemn. 
On the left, rising to a great height, appears the 
mountain ; its summit frequently capped with clouds, 
and its base washed by the lake for an extent of 
nearly two miles. Rocks and thick woods along the 
peninsula bound the lake on the opposite side ; and 
Glena, rising in the distance, displays the full glories 
of its forests, and terminates the prospect. 

Turk cascade is situated at a short distance from 
the cottage, at the bottom of a deep chasm in the 
side of the mountain. It is supplied by a river from 
the valley between Turk and Mangerton mountains, 
which is augmented occasionally by the stream from 
the Devil's Punch-bowl. After heavy rains, indeed, 
a vast body of water descends down the precipice, 
entirely covering the face of the rock with a sheet of 
white foam : the chief beauty of the fall consists in 
its winding course. The sides of the chasm are 



14 

thickly planted with larch trees, which might be sup- 
posed, from the rapidity of their growth, to have 
found a soil as congenial to their nature as that of 
the Alps and Apennines. As yet, these trees have 
not acquired the picturesque attire of age ; but, ar- 
rived at maturity, and bowed down by the storm, 
their appearance must give enchantment to the scene. 
The eye of fancy will perhaps imagine that it already 
beholds their withered arms, grey with lichens, ex- 
tended athwart the dark rocks, whilst the parent 
stem, prostrated in the flood, lies contending with 
the impetuosity of the current. Below the cascade 
the water is lost in a deep ravine, but it soon emer- 
ges, and, after passing under the bridge, is seen, at 
a distance, gliding smoothly into the lake. 

Between Turk cottage and the mansion-house of 
Mucruss, the grounds possess fewer attractions than 
in any other part ; which is rather attributable to 
the half-cultivated, half-neglected state in which they 
are suffered to remain, than to any deficiency in na- 
tural beauty. The surface is pleasingly varied and 
well wooded; but too many of the trees stand in 
even rows and formal clumps; and several stone 
fences, by their artificial formality, offend the eye 
which takes delight in the wild irregularity of na- 
ture. Roughness and negligence were not wanting 
here to increase the interest which the more impro- 
ved parts of the demesne inspire, as the peninsula 



15 

between the two lakes, still in a state of native wild- 
ness, affords them the best relief imaginable. So 
sudden a transition, indeed, from the embellished 
scenes of art to the wildness of the forest, is rarely 
paralleled. 

The peninsula commences at the house, and ex- 
tends as far as Brickeen bridge, a distance of two 
miles. It consists of continuous masses of rocks 
slightly covered with earth, which, notwithstanding 
the seeming poverty of the soil, are clothed with 
trees of considerable growth. At the commence- 
ment of the peninsula, the branches of the trees are 
so closely interwoven, and the rocks so rugged, that 
they form a barrier impervious to persons on horse- 
back, excepting in very few places ; but there is a 
commodious road through these woods beginning at 
the mansion-house, which extends the whole length 
of the peninsula, and thence across Brickeen bridge 
to the island of the same name : formerly it reached 
as far as the island of Dinis, but the way at present 
is not passable for carriages beyond the bridge ; and 
between Dinis and Brickeen islands there is no long- 
er any communication. 

In passing along this road, the eye is gratified with 
the most delightful views of the lake and distant 
hills, opening at intervals between the breaks in the 
woods ; they would, however, be attended with great- 
er interest, if the vistas were more numerous on each 

12 



16 

side : for in several places the trees along the road- 
side grow so very closely together as to form a skreen 
which does not admit even a glimpse of the water 
for half a mile together. Had all the views between 
the house and the extremity of the peninsula been 
nearly the same, it would be judicious, perhaps, to 
leave the road secluded, as it is at present ; for the 
same view would excite fresh interest, if the eye re- 
turned to it after having been confined for a time to 
the gloom of a thick wood ; but the scenery here is 
so much diversified, that, were the whole coast ex- 
posed, not a single step would seem tedious. The 
wooded islands, which appear at a short distance 
from the shore, are a constant source of new delight. 
One moment they appear to confine the lake within 
very narrow limits ; the next, a long expanse of wa- 
ter, with reaches of the distant shore, is discovered 
between the channels which separate them. The 
coast of the peninsula itself is also extremely pictu- 
resque. Numerous little inlets indent it, some of 
which are bounded by massive rocks rising to the 
height of fifty feet above the lake ; others are shaded 
by the thick pendent foliage of tall trees, gracefully 
disposed along the water side. The pedestrian who 
will take the pains of forcing his way along the shore, 
which, owing to the close intertexture of the bran- 
ches, and the abundance of hollies, brambles, and 
thick underwood, is very difficult of access, will find 



17 

himself amply repaid by the variety of the scenery. 
The same prospects, it is true, may be more readily 
commanded, by proceeding in a boat along the shore, 
and occasionally landing ; but the pleasure they af- 
ford under the different circumstances of a delibe- 
rate approach from the water, or of an adventurous 
ramble through the woods, varies considerably. In 
the one case the person advances, aware in some 
measure of what he is to behold ; in the other, the 
views burst upon him unforeseen, producing addi- 
tional pleasures by their unexpected appearance. 
In this, as in other instances where the object is of 
higher import, the pleasure arising from the attain- 
ment of our desires is often lessened by anticipation 
during the moments of pursuit. 

Towards the centre, the peninsula assumes a new 
character. Here it is varied by extensive lawns, 
some of which are entirely surrounded by woods, 
whilst others open to the lake. There is a large 
pool in the middle of one of these lawns, fringed 
with graceful trees, whose retired and tranquil as- 
pect forcibly rivets the attention, in despite of the 
much more magnificent scenery in its vicinity. The 
banks on one side are considerably elevated ; and on 
their summit stands a rude unfinished building,* 



* When it is considered how much has been done to impair the 
beauty of some of the enchanting lakes in the north of England, 

B 



IB 

which appears to have been designed for a rustic 
temple or pleasure-house ; and indeed a more advan- 
tageous scite for such a building could not have been 
fixed upon, as the spot not only commands an ex- 
tensive prospect of the lake and mountains, but of 
the rich verdant slopes and thick woods of Mucruss — 

Both where the morning sun first warmly smote 
"the open field, and where the unpierced shade 
Imbrov^ried the noontide bowers. 

Beyond this delightful spot, towards the point of 
Camillan, the woods assume a still wilder aspect, and 
the deepening gloom conveys the idea of the most 
savage solitude, when all at once, at the bottom of a 
mass of rocks which a sudden break in the woods 
discloses, a small cottage appears, whose blue curling 
smoke rising through the trees gives animation to a 
scene which but a moment before seemed remote 
from the haunts of men. It is impossible to ap- 
proach it without feeling half disposed to envy its 
inmates the possession of so retired and romantic a 
dwelling ; though the poor peasants who reside in 
it, " children of penury and heirs to toil,'* are per- 
haps only sensible of the inconvenience of a situation 



by persons of false taste erecting buildings which they call orna- 
mental, it may be deemed a fortunate circumstance that Killarney 
is still suffered to appear in native simplicity. 



19 

removed from the seat of their daily labour, and in- 
capable, from the barrenness of its rocks, of produ- 
cing the roots upon which they are accustomed to 
feed. 

This house was erected for the superintendant of 
a neighbouring copper-mine on the borders of Turk 
lake, but which has not been worked for some years 
past. When abandoned, the vein of ore had not 
failed, nor had any inconvenience, it is said, been 
experienced from the influx of water, although the 
situation of the mine, close upon the margin of the 
lake, appears very perilous. The discontinuance of 
the works was rather to be attributed to the misma- 
nagement, or want of unanimity, amongst the parties 
concerned in it. At present^ however, the mine is 
full of water, and a considerable sum of money was 
ineffectually expended of late i^ attempts to draw it 
off. It is asserted) though I can scarcely conceive 
upon good information, that the water has not flow- 
ed in from the lake through any rent or chasm in the 
rocks, as happened at Ross island, on the opposite 
side of the lower lake, where a very valuable work 
was destroyed by inundation, in consequence of cut- 
ting too close to the water. 

The principal produce of this mine on the penin- 
sula was copper pyrites 5 but amongst the rubbish, 
which lies around the mouth of the old shafts, nume- 
rous specimens are observable of grey copper ore. 



20 

a;nd malachite ; of brown iron stone, grey cobalt 
ore, red cobalt ore, both in crystallized germina- 
tions and incrustations ; besides various other mine- 
ral substances. Some of the specimens of cobalt 
taken from this place are extremely rich ; and hopes 
were once entertained that this valuable mineral 
might be discovered in sufficient quantities to be- 
come an important object of commerce. A consi- 
derable quantity of it was actually gathered, and sent 
over to an ingenious potter in England for ;trial ; but 
it was found to be too intimately mixed with copper 
and iron to be of much value in his manufacture.* 

The peninsula, for about two-thirds of its length, 
is formed of limestone, resting upon grauwacke. 
The limestone is of a pale blue colour, and of a 
dense compact nature ; the same species of stone 
extends along the shores of Mucruss and Cahirnane, 
towards the river Deanagh. The islands at the 
mouth of Elesk river are entirely .composed of it, 
and it abounds upon Ross, Innisfallen, and the 
Brown islands. Marble of various colours is found 
mixed with the common limestone in Mucruss de- 



* Cobalt is used for the purpose of staining glass, enamels, eartfi- 
en-ware, and porcelain, to which it communicates a beautiful blue 
colour. The well-known substance caHed smalt blue is nothing 
more than glass coloured with cobalt, and finely levigated. The 
crude ore, if of a good quality, is worth, I am informed, two guineas 
per pound. It is principally procured from Saxony. 



21 

mesne and on Ross island. Towards the extremity 
of the peninsula grauwacke appears, and of this ma- 
terial are formed the islands in Glena bay, and on 
that side of the lake. No limestone is again ob- 
servable for many miles beyond Killarney. 

As the deposit of limestone is confined to the hol- 
low or basin which contains the great lower lake, it 
w^ould appear to belong to what are termed the Fla3tz 
rocks by Werner, resting immediately on his transi- 
tion series, in the same manner as the limestone does 
under Ingleborough, in Yorkshire, and near Kendal, 
in Westmoreland. 

The neighbouring mountains consist principally 
of grauwacke and grauwacke slate, of which last a 
quarry is wrought upon Turk mountain, on the side 
next to Turk lake. Immense veins of quartz, as is 
usual with rocks of this description, intersect the 
mountains. 

On the shores of Ross and Innisfallen islands, and 
nearly on a level with the water at its ordinary height, 
-the limestone rocks are partially covered with a sili- 
ceous incrustation, apparently the remains of a stra- 
tum of chert. It is of a very dark greenish colour, 
full of fissures, and may very readily be detached and 
divided into small fragments. 

Petrified shells, which present an interesting phae- 

nomenon, are found adhering in a similar manner to 

thp grauwacke rocks at the extremity of the penin- 

3 



22 

sula on the side next to Turk lake. Their forms are 
very distinct, and whilst their cavities are entirely 
filled with granular limestone, which cements them 
to the rocks, their exterior surface is coated with 
silex. Probably these shells formed part of a calca- 
reous stratum long since washed away ; or rather, 
the space which the mere shell itself once occupied 
in the limestone having been accidentally filled with 
silex, bearing the exact appearance of the original 
form, this substance has preserved the calcareous 
matter within from the action of the air and water, 
and thus kept it connected with the rock. It is 
somewhat remarkable, that no traces of shells are 
discoverable, that I could perceive, among the cal- 
careous rocks in the vicinity ; but it is nevertheless 
most probable, from the siliceous coating and calca- 
reous interior pf those already described, that they 
did not belong to beds of grauwacke. The shells 
are principally of the kinds called Telenites and Tur- 
binites. 

On returning from a ramble through the wilds of 
the peninsula, the ornamental scenes around Mucruss 
house appear with additional charms. Indeed, du- 
ring the height of summer, when the sultry heats are 
tempered by the breezes from the lake, when the air 
is filled with the fragrance of wild-flowers and of the 
new-mown hay, and when the eye can wander at lei- 
sui'e oyer the varieties of the landscape, one would 



23 

bo led to imagine that this was the region of delight, 
where Nature had unlocked her choicest treasures, 
But the pleasure of the dream is often dispelled by 
the vicissitudes of the weather. 



Exhaling from the Atlantic surge. 



Wild world of waters, distant clouds ascend 

In vapoury confluence, deepening cloud on cloud. 

These vast bodies of mist and vapour are attracted 
by the lofty mountains of Kerry, and descend in tor- 
rents of rain, deluging the country at a season when 
fine weather and a bright sun are most wanting to 
ripen the fruits of the earth. The romantic wander- 
er, who then wades through the long wet grass, 
sprinkled by every bush he passes under, and exclu- 
ded from the charms of the prospect by impene- 
trable clouds, reflects upon the voluptuous descrip- 
tions which he has heard, and may perhaps lament 
his own credulity. 

The old abbey of Irrelagh, or of Mucruss, as it is 
now commonly called, stands on an eminence in the 
richest part of the domain, at a short distance from 
the road leading to the mansion-house. A few years 
ago it was generally lamented that the effect of these 
ruins in the landscape was lost, from their being so 
thickly enveloped by trees. The woodman has lately 
been employed to open them to view on the side of 
the church, and now perhaps rather too much is seen. 
Had the large Gothic east window, and part of the 



24 

church only been revealed, by lopping off the lower 
branches of some of the intervening trees, enough 
would have been shown to catch the eye ; and the 
ruin, from being half concealed, would have appeared 
to greater advantage, and have excited more curio- 
sity, than it does at present.* iVs the ash trees which 
grew on this side were, however, extremely old, and 
decayed at the top, it was probably found more ad- 
visable to remove them altogether than to leave them 
standing in a deformed state, almost bare of foliage. 
Perhaps a better effect would have resulted from 
opening the prospect of that part of the abbey in 
which the monks used to reside, instead of cutting 
aw^ay any of the trees on the side of the church. 

A ruined church js a common object, which, inde- 
pendent of the picturesque beauty it may possess, 
excites little interest ; but the sight of a monastery 
carries us back to distant ages, and gives ri^e to a 
train of reflection which every mind of sensibility 
feels a pleasure in indulging. We remember that 
these places were the asylums of men who, volunta- 
rily renouncing the seducing pleasures of the world, 
devoted themselves to the services of charity and of 
religion. Hither the aged peasants from the neigh- 
bouring hamlets flocked, in the hours of sickness and 



* Mezzo aperta ancora, e mezzo ascosa, 
Quanto 61 mostr^ men t^nto e piu beJla. 



25 

of affliction, to obtain the advice and consolation of 
the ghostly fathers, to crave the boon of charity, or 
implore the blessing of Heaven on the labours of 
their toiling offspring. Hither, during the ages of 
violence and rapine, those who by inclination were 
disposed to retirement and to ease could withdraw in 
safety from the dangers of contending factions, and 
devote themselves to the calm and tranquil pursuits 
of literature. Tliese were the sacred retreats of 
learning, where the germs of knowledge were pre- 
served, till a more genial season bade them spring 
forth and flourish in open day. 

At the same time, we cannot behold these ancient 
fabrics, their dismal aisles, their dark and narrow 
cells, without drawing a comparison favourable to 
ourselves between the gloomy and bigoted notions 
of monkery and the more enlightened opinions of 
modern days. Far from regretting their decline, 
the philosophic mind triumphs at the dissolution of 
institutions which were disgraced by vices of the 
grossest nature ; where superstition was fostered, and 
the streams of knowledge polluted at their source. 
In this very abbey a miraculous image of the Virgin 
Mary was preserved, by whose portentous move- 
ments, directed at will, the friars imposed on the cre- 
dulity of many an unsuspecting votary. The Irish 
monastics, indeed, very soon lost sight of that vir- 
tuous and rigorous system which in early times had 



26 



gained them the esteem and admiration of surround- 
ing nations. Giraldus, who travelled in Ireland in 
the reign of Henry the Second, accuses the monks 
of that period of the grossest hypocrisy and licenti- 
ousness 5 and says, that, amongst the many thou- 
sands in that country, scarcely one was to be found 
who, after the incessant exertions of fasting and 
praying, did not make himself ample amends during 
the night, for the privations of the preceding day, by 
large draughts of wine, and potations of various kinds, 
to an excess which passed the bounds of decency ; 
and he adds, that, where wine had established its em- 
pire, it might be deemed a miracle if Venus did not 
also rule.* 

The abbey of Mucruss is a very pictm'esque ob* 
ject from several points of view. It is seen to most 
advantage from the south and west, within the pre*, 
cincts of the grove. 



* I transcribe the whole of the original passage, as to some per- 
sons it may appear interesting : ** Sed utinam post longa jejunia, tam 
s^brii fuerint quam serii, tam veri quam severi ; tam puri quam du- 
ri ; tam existentes quam apparentes. Inter tot enim millia, vix 
unum invenies, qui post jugem tam jejuniorum quam orationum in- 
stantiam, vino variisque potionibus, diurnos labores, enormius quam 
deceret noctu non redimat. Diem itaque naturalem tanquam ex 
aequo dividentes, lucidaque spiritui, tempora nocturna quoque carni 
dedican^es, sicut de luce lucis operibus indulgent, sic et in tenebris, 
a4 tenebrarum opera convertuntur. Unde et hoc pro miraculo du- 
cj potest, quod ubi vina dominantur Venus non regnat." — Gir. 
Camb. Top\ Hib* Ik Ckricis et Monastics, 



27 
Here are 



deep empty tombs, 



And dells and mouldering shrines, with old decay 
Rustic and green, and wide embowering shades 
Shot from the crooked clefts of nodding towers. 

The whole length of the church is about one hun- 
dred feet, its breadth twenty-four. The steeple, 
built upon four lofty pointed arches, under which 
there is a free communication, stands between the 
nave and the chancel. The principal entrance is at 
the west end, under a large pointed arch of blueish 
marble, embellished by several plain mouldings, which 
are well wrought, and in good preservation. From 
this entrance a very pleasing view opens of the great 
eastern window, which is seen through the arches of 
the steeple > and also of the large portal of the tran- 
sept on the south side of the nave. The cloister was 
the best executed part of the whole fabric ; and it is 
still perfect. It consists of a quadrangle of forty-six 
feet, encompassed by a vaulted walk six feet wide, 
whose pillars and arches are formed of blueish and 
pale red marble. The pillars are finished exactly 
ahke, but the arches vary both in number and in 
form. At two of the contiguous sides they are of 
the sharp-pointed kind, commonly known by the 
name of Gothic, and are ten in number ; the corre-» 
sponding sides contain twelve semicircular arches, 



28 

tlow this capricious variety, so frequently to be 
observed in the religious buildings of those infant 
days of art and taste, was first introduced, we cau 
now only conjecture : beauty and utility alike dis- 
own it as their offspring. Probably it originated in 
the dissensions which arose among the brotherhood, 
before the style of their future residence was deter- 
mined : and of the obstinacy with which they con- 
tended, and the folly with which they compromised 
this important subject, the abbey of Mucruss to this 
day remains a striking and a melancholy monument. 

At two of the opposite corners of the cloister 
there are stairs leading to the cells over tbe vaulted 
walk, and to the chief apartments of the abbey. The 
latter are in a very dilapidated state : but several of 
the cells remain entire ; and under the little grates by 
which they were lighted, one may still see the broad 
flat stones upon which the monks offered up their 
orisons, worn and polished by the pressure of many 
a weary knee. Around the summit of the building 
there is a safe walk, defended by an embattled para- 
pet. The lake from hence is barely visible through 
the trees; but, were a very few of the intervening 
branches removed, the view would be delightful : it 
is impossible, indeed, not to extol the taste which the 
monks displayed in choosing q, situation for their 
^bbey. 



1>9 

The remembrance of what this place once was, is 
fresh in the minds of the country people ; and many 
a pious devotee, impressed with a fond belief of its 
sanctity, may be seen before the tombs and ancient 
shrines in deep and earnest prayer. The appearance 
of these poor people, clad in long russet garments, 
prostrated on their knees, and counting their beads 
with all the enthusiasm of devotion, is quite in cha- 
racter with the solemnity of the scene, and calcula- 
ted to increase the melancholy and religious awe 
which the contemplation of so venerable a ruin is 
likely to inspire. 

In the centre of the cloister grows a remarkably 
large yew tree. It rises to the height of fourteen 
feet, with a straight and smooth bole, and then throws 
out several large arms, which mount above the high- 
est walls, and overshadow the greater part of the 
building. Such is the gloominess diffused over the 
cloister by its thick and dusky foliage, that the bat 
is frequently observed flitting through the vaulted 
arches at noon day. This tree, it may be supposed, 
was long a favourite with the monks ; but, much as 
they might have rejoiced in its flourishing state, had 
they continued to occupy the monastery until the 
present day, they must have consented, however re- 
luctantly, either to strip it of its honours, or to relin- 
quish the studies of their darkened cells. The vaults 



30 

and winding passages of the abbey are still more 
gloomy than the cloister : — 

There, through thick walls, oblique the broken light, 
JFrom harrow loop-holes, quivers to the sight. 

This obscurity adds much to the effect of the ruin, 
and, combined with the stillness arid solitude of deep 
xetirement, the fragments of monumental grandeur, 
and the frightful spectacles of mouldering mortality, 
forms an association highly calculated to inspire the 
imagination with visionary fears. As you wander 
on, the mind, yielding to the impression of such 
gloomy images, becomes aibstracted from this world. 
The shade of every waving branch is converted to a 
spectre, and the echoes of the footsteps to the whis- 
pering of the ideal inhabitants. The startled senses 
distrust their own perception, and the delusion can 
scarcely be dispelled by returning to the cheerful re- 
gions of light and life* 

These effects are not fictitious. An instance once 
occurred to my own knowledge, in which a visit to 
this place was attended with almost fatal consequen- 
ces to two young ladies. Having strayed on before 
the rest of their party, they unexpectedly found them- 
selves, near the close of the day, at the portal of the 
abbey. Curiosity prompted them to enter ; and, 
unsuspicious of any cause of alarm, they heedlessly 
passed on to the inmost recesses of the building. 



SI 

The frightful objects which there assailed their eyes 
urged them to instant flight. In vain, however, did 
they endeavour to retrace the way by which they 
had entered : the intricacy of the passages bafHed 
their eager attempts to escape. Overcome by terror, 
they fainted away ; and it was not until a long time 
after they were discovered, that the anxious efforts 
of their friends succeeded in restoring them to ani- 
mation. In reality, they had beheld objects which 
might have struck a momentary panic into minds 
less deUcately framed : they had found themselves 
suddenly and unexpectedly environed by all the hor- 
rors of a charneUhouse. 

This abbey is a common and favourite place of bu- 
rial : the limits of the cemetery are small ; the depth 
of the soil inconsiderable. The consequence is, that 
coffins, with their mouldering contents, are not un- 
frequently removed to make room for others, long 
before decency can warrant such a measure. In a 
passage leading to the cloister I once found a head, 
with a considerable part of the flesh of the face and 
nearly the entire hair upon it, literally rolling under 
foot ; and though the place from time to time is 
carefully cleared, yet the bones, sculls, and coffin- 
boards that are prematurely dug up, quickly accu- 
mulate again. The boards are deposited in the vaults, 
one of which, adjoining to the church, is now entirely 
filled with them to the very crown of the arch : the 



32 

bones and sculls are heaped up in the angle formed 
by the transept and the nave of the church, at the 
outside of the building, where many thousands of 
them may be seen, bleached to an extraordinary de- 
gree of whiteness by their exposure to the weather.* 

Persons who can afford the expense, have excava- 
tions made in the rock, and tombs built over them, 
with large trap-doors at one end, removable by iron 
rings ; but the poorer classes of the people generally 
content themselves with depositing the coffin in a 
cranny of the rock, and covering it with loose stones, 
A day scarcely passes without a burial at Mucruss 
abbey ; and disagreeable as it must be to the pro- 
prietor of the demesne, especially in this country, 
where such a concourse of people attends the cere- 
mony of interment with cries and bowlings, yet it is 
not thought expedient to oppose it. 

The attachment of the Irish peasantry to their fa- 
mily burying-place is boundless. Bodies are not un- 
frequently conveyed from a distance of twenty miles 
across the mountains, to be interred at Mucruss ab- 
bey ; men, women, and children, following in multi- 
tudes : and were any attempts made to prevent fu- 



* In the cemetery of Buttevant Abbey, in the county of Lime- 
rick, the sculls and bones have been piled up in the form of a thick 
wall, against which there grows a very large old ivy tree, which 
binds them strongly together ; but this is not an unusual circum- 
stance ill many other parts of Ireland as well as England. 



ture burials in the abbey, it probably might, even in 
this peaceable neighbourhood, be the occasion of 
alarming disturbances. 

A funeral procession formerly, in consequence of 
the common notion entertained by the peasants that 
it was an act of duty, if they happened to be within 
sight, to follow it for some distance, was wont to be 
productive of idleness throughout the district which 
it passed. Travellers that were met on the road, 
though strangers to the country, and unacquainted 
with the deceased, were expected to do the same ; 
and if they showed any unwillingness, they were 
sometimes compelled to turn, and testify their re- 
spect by a temporary attendance. This custom, like 
that which still obtains of assembling a numerous 
body of followers to attend a funeral, is of high an- 
tiquity ; and appears to be derived from the ancient 
division of the people into septs or small tribes, and 
from the petty warfares in which they were almost 
unceasingly engaged. The funeral of a chief, or of 
a distinguished person, was considered as a rallying 
point ; where the friends and adherents of the de- 
ceased, and those w4io were disposed to protect his 
successors and defend their inheritance, were ex- 
pected to show themselves. Absence on these occa* 
sions indicated, or was construed into, enmity or dis- 
respect. Persons in inferior situations soon began 
to claim an equal tribute of attention from their kins- 



34 

folks and acquaintances ; and a custom, which afford- 
ed an opportunity for the display of friendship and 
good-will, readily found its favourers down to th^ 
present time. Idleness has also a great share in col- 
lecting people on these occasions. 

As the crowds which are thus assembled cannot 
all be afflicted with grief, it follows that these meet- 
ings, where numerous friends and acquaintances, 
male and female, are brought together, are more 
productive of festivity and joy than sorrow and 
mourning. The countenances of many who attend, 
far from being expressive of seriousness, betray 
marks, on the contrary, of the most indecent merri- 
ment 5 and, in some instances, doubts might even be 
entertained of the reality of the grief of those per- 
sons who do appear to mourn. It is almost needless 
here to remark, that these observations pertain to the 
funerals of the lower classes of the people. 

I once met a funeral procession in its passage from 
the town of Killarney to Mucruss abbey, which exhi- 
bited a remarkable instance of apparent vehemence 
of grief and real indifference. The coffin was pla- 
ced in a small hearse under a canopy, and upon it 
was seated an old grey-headed woman, who seemed 
to be actually convulsed with sorrow. She uttered 
the most doleful cries ; alternately smote her breast 
and the lid of the coffin ; and occasionally prostra- 
ting herself upon it, endeavoured as it were to em- 



35 

brace the once-beloved object of her affections. Such 
demonstrations of excessive grief could not be seen 
without interest, and I was irresistibly led to mix 
among the train, when, to my great surprise, I found 
that she had not shed a single tear. After a few mi- 
nutes, her clamour w^as suspended, and she turned to 
speak with indifference to the people near her ; on 
many of whose countenances were to be traced emo- 
tions more in unison with her levity than with the 
semblance of her former sorrow.* I was not able to 



* It would be wrong to infer from this recital that the lower 
classes of the Irish are devoid of sensibihty ; on the contrary, where 
strong demonstrations of passion are commonly observed amongst 
a people, it may fairly be concluded that they are possessed of 
acute feelings. But to the violence of grief or joy amongst the 
Irish, the same importance is not to be attached as amongst a more 
sedate and sober people. Giraldus Cambrensis, who was no inac- 
curate observer of the character of the Irish, though credulous and 
mistaken in many points, says that all their actions were immode- 
rate, and their passions most vehement : — ** Est enim gens haec 
cunctis fere in actibus immoderata, et in omnes affectus vehemen- 
tissima." This remark is still apposite, and may be illustrated by 
the following incident : 

One morning, whilst I was sitting in my apartment in Killarney, 
giving some directions to a tradesman, a sudden noise was heard 
through the town ; 

A troublous noise 
That seemed some perilous tumult to desine, 
Confused with women's cries and shouts of boyes. 

The man dropped on his knees, crossed his forehead, and uttered 
a prayer. On looking out of the window, the people in the streets 
all appeared in the extremity of distress : some piteously wringing 



se 

learn whether she was one of those persons common 
at Killarney who are hired to attend funerals and to 
sing the death-song ; but very probably she was. 

The death-song, or death-cry, as^ it more properly 
deserves to be, and indeed is most commonly called, 
is there kept up, incessantly, for several days and 
nights in the house of the deceased : those women 
"^rho have the best lungs and the most lively imagi- 
nation get the most money for their services. A 
friend of mine was induced, by curiosity, to procure 
a translation of one of these extemporaneous death- 



their hands, others beating their breasts. One of the principal in- 
habitants came running out of his house, with loud lamentations 
clasping his hands, and exclaiming, in all the bitterness of grief, 
that " If he had had daughters that morning, he was now childless." 
Had an earthquake swallowed up a part of the town, or half the in- 
habitants been put to the sword, the confusion could not have been 
greater. The moment was really awful. It was impossible to learn 
from the people, deeply occupied as they were with their individual 
sufferings, what had happened ; and dragoons were seen, with drawn 
swords, galloping across the end of the street. An officer who was 
exercising some companies of mihtia in the court before Lord Ken- 
mare's house, had actually marched them into the street, and had 
drawn them up ready for action, before he could get the least inti- 
mation of the occasion of the tumult. At last we learned that the 
Roman Catholic chapel had fallen upon great numbers of the people, 
and that the troopers were hastening to the spot to keep off the 
crowd, and to facilitate the removal of those killed or wounded. I 
ran to the place, prepared to witness some spectacle of excessive 
calamity, when the intelligence I received removed every uneasy 
apprehension. The joists of the gallery, which was exceedingly 
thronged in consequence of a festival, had cracked. A general pa- 
nic followed, but not an individual was injured. 



37 

songs. It dwelt much on those virtues in the de- 
ceased which are the usual subject of admiration 
among uncivilized nations ; and, in particular, on 
his extreme hospitality ; each verse concluding with 
the burthen, " O may the grass never grow before 
his door !" 

The exact period of the foundation of Mucruss 
abbey is not well ascertained. According to some 
statements, it was founded as early as the year 1340 ; 
but the authority of Wading * has been adduced to 
the contrary, who declares that he had seen a bull 
of Pope Paul the Second, which proved that it was 
founded by one of the earls of Desmond, and not 
until the year 1449. In the Monasticon Hiberni- 
cum, by the Reverend Mervyn Archdall, the foun- 
dation is fixed at 1440, and ascribed to Donald 
McCarthy. It belonged to the Conventual Francis- 
cans ; whose rules, though so much relaxed from the 
original institutions of their patron and founder St 
Francis, as to have occasioned a final schism in the 
order, yet still did not allow them to hold extensive 
territorial possessions ; but in the superior construc- 
tion of their convents, and the convenience of their 
accommodations, the brotherhood endeavoured to 
make themselves ample amends for the mortifications 
to which they were otherwise subjected. 

* Smith's History of Kerry. 



38 

This abbey, either by forfeiture or surrender, de- 
volved to the crown at the time of the reformation, 
and Queen Elizabeth made a grant of it to Robert 
Collam j but from an inscription on a stone in the 
north wall of the chancel of the church, of which the 
following is a transcript, it may be inferred that the 
tnonks continued to inhabit it long after this period. 



ftwu-rri5- triage 

])o/enb^ubf)unoi 
Bcru-coa\)ptu*de. 

h- cumuft_~_r; 

i(pX;cmm'Ui(fpf 



Orate p (pro) felici 

statu fris (Jratris,) Tbade (i) 



39 

Holeni qui hunc s- 

acru (m) convetu (conventum) de 

novo reparare 

curavit 
Anno Domini millesimo 
sexcentesimo vigesimo sexto. 

" Pray for the happy state of brother Thadeus 
Holenus, who superintended the rebuilding or re- 
pairing of this sacred convent, A. D. 1626." The 
beginning of the last word on the fifth line is oblite- 
rated, and the remainder of it, 7^are^ can only be tra- 
ced with difficulty. I have made the word reparare. 
The use of this character, which is Meso-Gothic, at 
so late a period, and long after it had ceased to be 
employed in England, and even in other parts of 
Ireland, is a proof of the slow progress which arts 
and literature had made in Kerry. 

The history of the decay of this abbey, notwith- 
standing its more recent date, is involved in still 
deeper obscurity. Dr Smith, in his History of Kerry, 
informs us, that in his days the bell of the convent 
was discovered in the lake, at a short distance from 
the shore of Mucruss ; from which circumstance it 
may be inferred that the building, at some period, 
suffered from violence. Probably the soldiers of the 
parliamentary army were instrumental to its destruc- 



40 

tion ; of whose outrages the country about Killarney 
was a distinguished scene. 

From the borders of the grove which envelops the 
abbey, a smooth verdant lawn stretches down to the 
lake. On leaving the demesne of Mucruss, if you 
should have entered it by the gate at the village, it 
is desirable, for the sake of variety, to traverse this 
lawn, keeping near the water : and after having 
crossed the little stream which bounds the demesne, 
there is an agreeable ride along the gravelly beach, 
at the head of Castle Lough bay ; from which place 
a private avenue leads to the high road. 

As you pass along this part of Mucruss, two 
small islands are observable at a short distance from 
the main shore. One of them is called Heron or 
Friar's island ; the other Osprey rock : it better de- 
serves, however, the name of Cormorant rock, from 
being so much more frequently the resort of the 
latter bird. Seldom, indeed, is it seen without many 
of these voracious animals sitting upon its craggy 
point, in eager expectation of the approach of their 
finny prey. The neighbouring island is frequented 
by herons ; and, what seems remarkable, these birds 
never invade each other's territories. Numerous 
other aquatic birds are also generally to be seen 
about this part of th^ lake, attracted by the fish which 
frequent the shallows. 



41 



In light-wing'd squadrons, gulls of every name, 
Screaming discordant, o'er the surface hang. 
And ceaseless stoop for prey. 

Their devious flights enliven the scene j and their 
shrill cries, whilst they add to the wildness of the 
scene, are not devoid of interest. 

Sounds inharmonious in themselves and harsh, 
Yet heard in scenes where peace for ever dwells 
And only there, please highly for their sake. 

The noisy birds which commonly frequent the sea- 
shores were not beneath the verse of Homer in his 
description of the enchanting island of Calypso; and 
it will not readily be admitted that his faithful re- 
presentation of nature is less pleasing than that of 
the writers of romance, who, on all occasions, were 
wont to fill the groves of fairy land with birds of 
melodious notes and gaudy plumage.* 

The heron breeds in the woods of Mucruss, and 
pains are taken to preserve it from the wanton at- 



Od. lib. 5. 1. 65. 
Thus rendered by Pope : 

On the high branches waving in the storm 
Birds of the broadest wing theif mansion form, 
The chough, the sea-mew, and loquacious crow. 
And scream aloft, and skim the deep below. 



42 

tacks of fowlers : nor is this bird undeserving of pro- 
tection, whose appearance is so picturesque, whether 
beheld stalking amongst the withered reeds, on the 
brink of the pool, or steering with slow and solemn 
wing through the glades of the forest, where the dark 
foliage forms a relief to his " pale grey plumes." 

The old fortress of Castle lough stands on an insu- 
lated rock near the head of the bay. Its position 
might have rendered it strong ; but it was too much 
limited in extent to have been a place of great im- 
portance. So completely was it demolished by the 
parliamentary army, that the few remaining frag- 
ments of the walls are now scarcely discernible from 
the rocks on which they rest. The name of Castle 
lough is at present given to a neat little villa belong- 
ing to Mrs Delany, the grounds of which are prettily 
disposed. 

At Castle lough the flat commences, which has al- 
ready been mentioned in the general description of 
the boundaries of the lower lake. As far as the ri- 
ver Flesk it forms a part of the grounds of Cahir- 
nane, the seat of Mr Richard Herbert, a place well 
wooded, and possessing many natural advantages. 
The original entrance to the house is through an 
avenue of fine old trees, which the proprietor, unin- 
fluenced by that spirit of innovation which character- 
ises the present age, has carefully preserved ; while 
he has evinced his taste in the judicious choice of a 




■^ 



45 

new approach from another part of the domain, which 
passes alternately through woods and lawns, and be- 
tween large masses of rocks, covered, like the small 
islands of the lake, with shrubs and evergreens. The 
straight avenues, in which our ancestors so much de- 
lighted, have surely too often been treated with dis- 
respect, and condemned without mature consider- 
ation. Many a mansion, by their removal, has lost 
that venerable aspect which it before enjoyed. In 
summer their shade is refreshing ; and though they 
can rarely lay claim to picturesque beavity, yet occa- 
sionally they are highly pleasing. 

Ye fallen avenues, once more I mourn 
Your fate unmerited ; once more rejoice 
That yet a remnant of your race survives. 
How airy and how light the graceful arch ! 

The tall limes which border upon the road lead- 
ing from Flesk bridge to Killarney, furnish a remark- 
able example of the agreeable effect of straight rows 
of trees in certain situations ; and seldom fail to pre- 
possess the stranger in favour of the town, who ap- 
proaches it for the first time in this direction. Uni- 
ting over head, they form a lofty shade impervious 
to the meridian sun. Every disagreeable object, 
usually met with in the outskirts of a country town, 
is effectually excluded from view by the foliage on 
each side j and in the distance, between the rows, 



44 

are just seen the church and adjoining houses. That 
such avenues are not more common, especially in 
the neighbourhood of towns, where they aiFord the 
inhabitants agreeable and sheltered walks, is much 
to be regretted. Surely the inconvenience which 
arises from the moisture they diffuse over the roads, 
is more than counterbalanced by their shade and 
beautiful appearance in summer. 

The flat which extends from the river Flesk to the 
road leading to Ross castle, is occupied by small fields 
bare of trees, and mostly divided by stone fences. 
Still further on, at the opposite side of the road, lie 
the gardens and pleasure-grounds attached to the 
house of the Earl of Kenmare. It would be difficult 
to find a more striking instance of the perverted taste 
of former times than this place exhibits. Though 
the noble person by whose order it was laid out, was 
lord of the soil for miles around, and might have 
fixed his residence where he pleased, yet, as if Na- 
ture had in those days lost the power of pleasing, no 
advantage has been taken of the varied scenery of 
Killarney : the most beautiful and commanding si- 
tuations were all disregarded, and the only flat piece 
of ground in the country studiously selected for a dis- 
play of the insipid regularities of a Dutch garden. 

No pleasing intricacies intervene, 

No artful wildness to perplex the scene ; 



45 

Grove nods at grove, each alley has a brother, 
And half the platform just reflects the other. 

Beyond the precincts of the old gardens, walks and 
shrubberies have been laid out in a more modern 
taste, and other improvements on an extensive scale, 
it is said, have been projected. The trees near the 
house are large, and numerous grand mountain pros- 
pects might readily be opened between them ; but, 
owing to the lowness of the ground and the evenness 
of its surface, the lake can never be seen to advan- 
tage. At the end of the long straight vista which 
opens behind the house, it just appears a narrow 
streak in the horizon, like a distant river. In a less 
romantic country, these grounds would be thought 
very beautiful. 

In attempting to account for the peculiar evenness 
of the ground at the rear of Lord Kenmare's mansion, 
one might be induced at first sight to suppose that 
the lake had once flowed over it, and had afterwards 
contracted within its original limits: but appear- 
ances in the face of nature are deceitful, and often 
baffle the most ingenious conjectures that can be 
formed concerning their causes. That the lake has 
preserved nearly the same level, for many ages, is ob- 
vious from the discovery of the remains of an ancient 
wood beneath the turf-bog which joins that part of 
the grounds called the West Demesne. On the bor- 
ders of Ross bay, where this bog has been entirely 



46 

cut away, the stumps of the trees now stand exposed 
to view, in an upright position, firmly fixed in the ori- 
ginal soil upon which they grew. They consist mostly 
of birch and pine ; and if, from their dimensions, a 
judgment may be formed of the trees which they 
supported, the latter must have been of immense 
size. 

There is reason to suppose that turf-bogs, in many 
instances, have been formed by the ruins of forests 
overwhelmed by floods, or prostrated by hurricanes ; 
between the branches of whose trees a nidus was af- 
forded for the accumulated growth of fibrous plants, 
of which, with the admixture of a small proportion 
of earthy particles, the turf or peat of this country 
is almost universally formed. The solid stems of the 
trees, less subject to decay, are commonly found in 
bogs at a great depth, and sometimes in such excel- 
lent preservation that they are esteemed equal to any 
other timber for substantial buildings. I have seen 
some very beautiful and expensive pieces of furniture 
made of solid bog yew. The pine and fir woods, 
though inapplicable to such valuable purposes, are 
not devoid of use ; amongst others, being highly in- 
flammable, splinters of them are substituted for 
candles among the poor. 

The peasantry are in the constant practice, with 
the permission of their landlords, of raising trees out 
of the bogs in this part of the country. They first 



47 

search for them by pushing down long spears through 
the spungy superincumbent mass ; and having ascer- 
tained their exact position, they open a large trench. 
The trees are sometimes easily taken up by these 
means ; but occasionally it happens that a large la- 
teral branch, or a spur underneath, holds the stem 
firmly down, contrary to the expectation of the ad- 
venturers. Additional trenches must then be open- 
ed, corresponding with their direction; and even 
these efforts in complicated cases often proving abor- 
tive, they are ultimately reduced to the necessity 
of abandoning altogether the object of their pursuit, 
or of resorting to the painful and unprofitable labour 
of severing it into small pieces by the axe. Their ex- 
ertions are also sometimes baffled by the sudden in- 
flux of water, and sometimes by the falling in of the 
banks of the trenches. Amidst impediments so fre- 
quent, it is obvious that profit must be precarious ; 
and from inquiries amongst numerous parties that I 
found digging for trees on the hills near the town of 
Killarney, relative to their general success, I was led 
to conclude that a great portion of valuable labour 
was lost in this uncertain pursuit ; but the persons 
engaged in it, regardless of frequent failure, and ani- 
mated, like those intent upon a game of chance, with 
the hopes of large gains, seemed to prefer it to the 
ordinary occupations of industry. 

There are many bogs, however, in which no re- 



48 

mains of trees can be discovered ; and that their for- 
mation is not dependent in every instance upon the 
decay of the forest, is evident from the circumstance 
of their being sometimes situated upon rocks where 
no trees could possibly have grown. On the sum- 
mit of an insulated pile of rocks at the mouth of 
Ross bay, called O'Donoghue's prison, there is a bog 
of the depth of some feet, which plainly demonstrates 
this fact. 

The little stream called the Deanagh forms a 
boundary to the flat, on the north. Beyond it the 
ground is diversified with gentle knolls covered with 
verdure, and adorned with some fine trees, beneath 
which there are walks commanding very charming 
prospects of the lake. The pleasure-grounds attach- 
ed to Kenmare house extend a considerable distance 
in this direction, and a wooden bridge across the 
stream connects them with the old gardens. By the 
liberality of the noble proprietor, strangers are per- 
mitted to frequent these agreeable walks, as well as 
those on the flat ground beyond the precincts of the 
gardens, until the close of day, when the gates are 
shut. 

Near the river Deanagh, the shores of the lake are 
indented by numerous little sandy creeks or recesses, 
bounded at each side by masses of rocks, which over- 
look the islands at the mouth of Ross bay. From 
the promontory known by the name of Reen point. 



49 

the woods of Innlsfallen island, which lie just at such 
a distance that individual trees can be distinguished 
amongst the tufts of foliage, with their reflections in 
the lake, appear with uncommon beauty. It is from 
the summit of these rocks alone, however, that the 
prospect fully unfolds its charms. The spectator who 
stands on the sandy beach between them, or on other 
parts of the low shore, can command but a very con- 
tracted view of the w^ater ; and as he retires across 
the flat towards the hills, it becomes less and less 
conspicuous, and at last nearly vanishes from the 
eye: but, on ascending the heights, it re-appears, 
and assumes breadth and importance at every step. 
Of the effect of its first appearance from the foot of 
the hills an idea may be formed, from the view which 
is here inserted of Flesk bridge, taken from the banks 
of that river. At this elevation the lake seems to be 
only a continuation of the river Flesk, which had 
overflowed its banks, and spread over a tract of low 
plashy ground.* On ascending higher, the wooded 
islands become more distinct ; and the lake, instead 
of appearing like a dilatation of the Flesk, rather 
wears the aspect of a majestic navigable river, which 
received its tributary stream whilst rolling on through 



* The different points of land which are seen in the middle dis- 
tance of this view are the islands in and about Ross bay ; the large 
mountain in the distance is a part of Tomies. The Flesk fails a iew 
feet after passing under the bridge, and does not appear beyond it. 

D 



50 

a spacious valley. On continuing to ascend, a wider 
expanse of water opens to the view ; and the actual 
form and limits of the lake are fully displayed in all 
their extent and magnificence. 

To describe the varied combinations of pict^resque 
beauties with which these shores abound, would be a 
vain attempt, where every step produces change, and 
every change delights. Let those who are earnestly 
bent upon a minute examination of the charming 
scenery of Killarney, freely range along the confines 
of the lake without the control of a guide, and en- 
deavour to behold it under every possible point of 
view. 



In this tract 



How long soe'er the wanderer roves, each step 
Shall wake fresh beauties ; each short point present 
A different picture, new, and yet the same. 

It will generally be found advisable, however, itt 
proceeding over these hills, to avoid ascending to 
such an elevation as discovers the full extent of the 
lake, and yet to keep sufficiently above the level of 
the water, to command a view of it above or between 
the intervening trees. From several positions on the 
hills, particularly from parts of the extensive deer- 
park belonging to Lord Kenmare, the prospect of 
the flat shore is effectually excluded by the hanging 
woods which grow on the slope beneath; and the 
w^oods of Mucruss on one side, and those about the 



31 

river Laune on the other, being seen emerging in 
the distance behind the trees which occupy the fore- 
ground, one might imagine that the shores of the 
lake were covered with a vast forest from end to end. 
From these positions, the situation of the town of 
Killarney is marked in the landscape by its smoke, 
and the church steeple just rising above the tops of 
the trees, and it has all the appearance of being ro- 
mantically situated on the very margin of the lake. 

The mountain prospects from this side of the lake 
vary materially from those which are commanded 
from the hills of Mucruss. At the latter place, 
owing to the nearness of the spectator, the great 
chain of mountains is beheld as it were in profile ; 
whilst here the eye, being removed to a convenient 
distance, and placed directly opposite to the line, is 
enabled to range along it for many miles. At Mu- 
cruss also the prospect is confined to the frontier 
mountains ; here, from the height of the situation, 
the tops of other mountains, which arise behind those 
of the great chain, are discovered gradually receding 
behind each other in wild variety. On arriving op- 
posite to the defile between Turk and Glena, a very 
grand and picturesque view opens through it, of the 
mountains situated beyond the upper lake, which, in 
clear weather, and towards the close of day, is height- 
ened by the contrast of light and shade that is then 
observable along the sides of the defile, and by the 



52 

strong illumination of the mountains in the distance* 
But in general it will be found that the views directly 
across the lake are much less picturesque than those 
which open to the right and left, when the eye is 
carried obliquely along the range of mountains. It 
will be found also, that the views to the right, to- 
wards Macarthy More's country, are far more pictu- 
resque than those to the left, looking over Mucruss, 
owing to the more graceful outline of the mountains, 
and to the greater variety of objects in the middle 
distance. The green hills which bound the domain 
of Mucruss obstruct the view at the base of the moun- 
tain on that side ; whilst, in the opposite direction^ 
the eye commands, beyond the lake, the rich wooded 
vale watered by the river Laune, an extensive and 
variegated prospect ; 

. . . . sweet interehange 

Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains ; 

Now land, now sea, and shores with forests crown'd. 

The charms of landscape are, in almost every in- 
stance, heightened by the glowing tints, and by the 
deep and lengthened shadows, which are diffused over 
the face of nature by the setting sun ; but the scenes 
of the lower lake of Killarney, especially those which 
are commanded from the hills, appear to so much 
greater advantage, 

.... when many-colour'd evening 
Sinks behind the purple woods and hills— 



53 

that the objects, which had been a source of dehght 
in their sombre livery, can with difficulty be recog- 
nised for the same in the splendour of their new 
attire. 

Until the sun has ascended to his meridian height, 
the mountains bordering upon the lower lake remain 
in shadow. Their surface then appears tame and un- 
varied, and their summit, if it be in clear weather, 
forms a hard outline against the azure sky ; but as 
the day advances, the sun crosses the line of the 
great chain, and darts his rays on that side of the 
mountains which lies next to the lake. All their 
bold irregularities are then revealed; their protru- 
ding rocks ; their deep glens ; and the lake, illumined 
by the gleams which pass athwart its peaceful waves, 
appears resplendent amidst the dark and wooded 
islands. 

The horizontal clouds 

With purple dyes, and fissures edged with gold, 
Streak the calm ether, while through the sparkling haze 
The faint hills glimmer ; fainter as thtir chains 
Approach the fount of brightness ; fainter still 
Where sunk the parting orb, and with the sky 
In undistinguishable splendour join'd. 

I have sometimes imagined that the sun set with 
more splendour at Killarney than in other parts of 
the country; and, indeed, there can be no doubt 
that the diversity of light and colours in the sky is 
pigmented by the vast collections of clouds which 



5'4 

are attracted by the mountains, as they come from 
the Atlantic, 

Or whirPd tempestuous by the gusty wind. 

Or silent borne along, heavy and slow, 

With the big stores of steaming Ocean charged. 

These clouds not only occasion the most grand and 
beautiful effects at the approach of evening, but ex- 
hibit infinite vicissitudes of light and shade through- 
out the day, altering from hour to hour the face of 
the landscape. 

Occasionally an effect is produced by the setting 
sun, on the range of mountains bounding the lake, 
not less beautiful than rare, and totally differing from 
what I remember to have seen in other mountainous 
countries ; though doubtless, in particular situations, 
the same appearance may result from the variations 
of the atmosphere. I can only attempt to give an 
idea of' it by describing it as displaying the moun- 
tains in a transparent state, and suffused with a lively 
purple hue. Varying, however, from the aerial as- 
pect of distant mountains, all the objects upon them, 
rocks, woods, and even houses, are distinctly visible, 
more so, indeed, than at noon day; whilst, at the 
same time, their forms appear so unsubstantial, so ethe- 
real, that one might almost fancy it possible to pass 
through them without resistance. I happened to be 
alone when I first witnessed this singular and beauti- 
ful phenomenon ; and having communicated it to 



some friends who were with me at Killarney, we se- 
veral times walked down to the lake when the state 
of the atmosphere seemed propitious ; but being fre- 
quently disappointed in our hopes of beholding it, 
my description began to pass for the mere creation 
of fancy : at last, however, the mountains put on 
this magical aspect, and incredulity instantly gave 
place to admiration and delight. This appearance is 
very transient, continuing only for about ten minutes, 
whilst the sun approaches the earth, and is sinking 
below the horizon. The mountains on which it is 
observable are Tomies, and those which lie next to 
it in the chain towards the west. 

The hills which rise behind the flat not only com. 
mand extensive and beautiful views of the lake, 
mountains, and the surrounding country, but in 
themselves possess many interesting features that 
cannot fail to gratify those who will be at the pains 
to examine them. In some parts, particularly in the 
extensive deer-park of Lord Kenmare, tliey are richly 
wooded with oaks, in others they are diversified with 
smooth knolls and green slopes, or broken by rocks ; 
and numerous rivulets descend along their sides to 
the lake. In the park there is a very romantic rocky 
glen, watered by a clear stream. Commodious walks 
at each side are cut amongst the rocks and trees, and 
rustic seats placed for the repose of the weary, or the 
contemplation of the enthusiast, Sometimes a strag« 



66 

gling deer, overleaping the fence, finds his way into 
this sequestered Httle spot, adding, by his wild as- 
pect, to the picturesque effect of the scene, whether 
he is descried emerging from the thickets, or stoop- 
ing to drink 

Just in the dubious point, where, with the pool. 
Is mixed the trembhng stream, or where it boils 
Around the stone. 

The park commences at the distance of half a mile 
from the town, on the road leading to Castle island ; 
and thence extends for some miles towards the south- 
east. The hill which it occupies, at the end next to 
the town, slopes gently towards the lake ; but, at the 
opposite extremity, a range of lesser hills intervenes 
between it and the water, and intercepts the view. 
Towards Aghadoe the hills are less varied, but they 
command some beautiful prospects. There are seve- 
ral gentlemen's seats in this direction. 

Of all the hills upon the northern side of the lake, 
the most elevated is that of Aghadoe, which appears 
to have been a place of no small celebrity in past 
ages. On its summit stand the remains of an abbey 
church or cathedral,* and it still continues to give 
title to a bishop. Amongst the Roman Catholics the 



* In the view of the church of Mucruss abbey, the hill of Agha= 
doe, in the distance, may be distinguished by its ruins, which are 
conspicuous from every part of the lower lake. 

4 



V^ 



57 

diocese is preserved distinct ; but in the established 
church it ranks as a secondary one, attached to the 
see of Limerick. So imperfect, however, is the state 
of ecclesiastical records in Ireland, that of the history 
of this place, if the account of it in the Monasticon 
Hibernicum is to be credited, nothing more is known 
than what can be collected from the following ex- 
tract from the Annals of Innisfallen : — " Aodh son 
of Conor, son of AulifF More, O'Donoghue king of 
Eoganacht Loch-lein (the antient name of Killarney) 
died in the year 1231, and was buried in his old ab- 
bey of Aghadoe." The writer of these annals was a 
monk of the abbey of Innisfallen, who flourished at 
a period when the members of these religious com- 
munities were prone to attach considerable import- 
ance to the antiquity of their establishments. The 
abbey of Innisfallen, to which he belonged, was 
founded as early as the sixth century, yet he empha- 
tically styles this the old abbey of Aghadoe ; a cir- 
cumstance from which it may not unfairly be infer- 
red, that its foundation was at least coeval with, per< 

baps anterior to, that of Innisfallen, 

ft 

Of the habitable part of the building no vestiges 
whatever remain ; but the walls of the church, on the 
south side alone excepted, are in tolerable preserva- 
tion. The rudeness of the architecture, and the nar- 
rowness of the dimensions, do not indicate that the 
wealth or splendour of the church, in this part of 



Ireland, was formerly very considerable. The whole 
length of the building is but eighty feet, the breadth 
twenty ; and this small area is divided into two parts 
by a substantial wall without any apertures. The 
windows, few in number, and in form not unlike the 
loop-holes in an old castle, could only admit a faint 
glimmering light. Gloominess, once esteemed so 
favourable to devotion, and peculiarly congenial to 
the superstitious notions of monkery, appears to have 
been studied in the plans of the early churches of 
Ireland still more than in those of Great Britain. At 
Glendalough, in the county of Wicklow, there is a 
small church covered with a roof of stone of great 
antiquity, the interior of which is so dark that a book 
could with difficulty be read in it at noon day. Many 
others of the same description are to be met with. 

The best executed part of this old building at 
Aghadoe is the western door-case, which consists of 
a carved Saxon arch, in excellent preservation ; it 
differs only from that of the chapel of Innisf alien, re- 
presented in the vignette on the title-page, in being 
decorated with an embattled frieze, instead of one in 
chevron work. These door-cases are both remarkable 
for being formed of a red siliceous sandstone, inter- 
spersed with large grains of white quartz ; a species 
of stone not found, I believe, in any part of the neigh- 
bourhood. Hence it is to be presumed that they 
were procured already carved, or sent perhaps as a 



59 

donation to the cathedral from some other part of 
the kingdom where the art of sculpture was further 
advanced. At least, this appears more probable than 
that the stone should have been conveyed in its rude 
state to the spot where it was to be finally employed ; 
for although it is capable of being wrought with more 
facility than either the common mountain stone, or 
the marble found on the shores of the lake, this ad- 
vantage would not have compensated for the labour 
and expense of transporting it. Besides, the marble 
of this neighbourhood is so much more beautiful, as 
well as more durable, that an artist working on the 
spot must have given it the preference. Its superior 
hardness could scarcely have operated as an objec- 
tion ; for, in an age when steel armour w^as in common 
use, there could have been no difficulty in procuring 
instruments capable of working it. 

The hill of Aghadoe is regarded by the inhabitants 
of the surrounding district as a spot of peculiar sanc- 
tity; and the cemetery adjoining the church, like 
that at Mucruss abbey, continues to be a favourite 
place of burial. Though the soil is considerably deep- 
er here than at the latter place, the eye is neverthe- 
less assailed with a similar disagreeable spectacle of 
mouldering bones and coffins, that have been dug up 
in opening new graves. Well may it be described, 
in the language of the poet,— 



60 



..,,,... a I place of tombs, 

Waste, desolate, where Ruin dreary dwelb. 
Brooding o'er sightless sculls and crumbling bones; 
Ghastful he sits, and eyes with steadfast glare, 
Sad trophies of his power, where ivy twines 
Its fatal green around the failing roof; 
The time-shook arch ; the column grey with moss ; 
The leaning wall ; the sculptured stone defaced. 
Whose monumental flattery, mix't with dust. 
Now hides the name it vainly meant to raise. 

A striking instance is exhibited at this place of a 
superstitious prejudice, which I apprehend is observ- 
able amongst persons even of a more enhghtened re- 
ligious profession. Not a single grave appears to the 
north of the cathedral, v/hilst, on the opposite side, 
they extend to a considerable distance beyond the 
precincts of the ancient cemetery, along the green 
borders of the public road ^ but doubtless the ground 
has received benediction, or the unhallowed spot 
would be avoided with caution. How various and 
inconsistent are the opinions of mankind on the sub- 
ject of burial ! Here would it be deemed a derelic- 
tion of duty to inter the deceased in any place but 
that which has already received their forefathers; 
though so many lay claim to the same scanty portion 
of earth, that time is scarcely allowed for changing 
dust to dust ; though the grave is liable to be dispos- 
sessed of its dead, and the ashes of those who were 
once held dear scattered before the winds of heaven. 
How much more rational the custom of America aqd 



61 

Switzerland, where a spot is commonly selected for 
burial in a private garden, or in some place distin- 
guished for its amenity and retirement : surely it 
must be grateful to the heart, in the hour of sorrow, 
to be enabled to visit the tomb of a beloved friend in 
silence and in solitude, free from impertinent intru- 
sion, free even from the unwelcome appearance of a 
stranger.* 

In the north-west corner of the church of Aghadoe, 
there is a stone about seven feet in length, on which 
Mr Pelham, not long since, discovered traces of what 
are supposed to have been the Ogham, or sacred 
mystical characters used by the ancient pagan Irish 
priesthood. This species of writing, if waiting indeed 
it is, may be ranked amongst the most simple, and 
probably the most imperfect, of the various kinds 
which have been transmitted to the knowledge of 
modern times ; in fact, it differs but little from the 
scores or marks which illiterate people commonly 
make with a piece of chalk for the purpose of enu- 
meration. Yet upon these rude strokes time has af- 
fixed a value which is enhanced by the accounts that 



* Du bon Helvetien qui ne connoit pas I'usage ? 
Pres d'lm eau murmurante, au fond d*un vert bocage,,. 
II place les tombeaux ; il les couvre des fleurs ; 
Par leur douce culture, il charme ses douleurs ; 
Et pense respirer, quand sa main les arrose, 
L'ame de son ami, dans le parfum d'une rose. 



have been handed down of their mysterious import* 
*' Notwithstanding frequent mention is made," says 
General Vallancey, " in Irish manuscripts, of the use 
of the Ogham character, and of certain monuments 
in certain places, the incredulity of our modern an- 
tiquaries was so great as to deny its existence, until 
a person was paid by the late Mr Conyngham to 
search upon a mountain, in the county of Clare, for 
one of these monuments mentioned in an ancient 
poem. The monument and inscription were at length 
discovered, and published in the Transactions of the 
Royal Irish Academy. After the discovery of this 
monument, no Ogham inscriptions were heard of, un- 
til Mr Pelham discovered fourteen of them, on as 
many different stones, in the county of Kerry." Of 
these stones and inscriptions, accurate engravings, 
together with an account of their discovery, may be 
seen in Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis. The stone 
of Aghadoe is amongst the number. Mr Pelham is 
of opinion that it was once much longer, and stood 
erect, as at one end it bears marks of having been 
broken, and seems to have been thrown down by 
violence into its present situation. He thinks also 
that the inscription is imperfect, as there is an ap- 
pearance of a scale of the stone having come off at 
the present termination. The characters, near the 
middle of the stone, are three and a half inches long. 
The ancient Irish erected pillars of stone on many 



63 

occasions : " Some were inscribed (says General Val- 
lancey*) with Ogham characters, to mark the cycles ;t 
others were Phalli, such as we are told the brahmins 
erected on the boundaries of districts, on the high 
ways, and in the temples, as symbols of the vivifying 
spirit." At Ballysteeny, in Kerry, Mr Pelham disco- 
vered a prepared rounded stone, tapering towards 
the top, with an Ogham inscription, which the gene- 
ral, without hesitation, pronounces to be the Muidhr, 
Phallus, or Lingam of the Hindoos. This stone ap- 
pears to have been originally about eight feet in 
length, and to have been broken by a fire that was 
made against it : part of it still continues in an up- 
right position. 

A few yards from the western end of the church 
of Aghadoe, the remains are to be seen of one of 
those slender round towers, whose original destina- 
tion, notwithstanding the laboured and ingenious re- 
searches of the numerous antiquarians who have di- 
rected their attention to the subject, is still involved 
in almost impenetrable obscurity. Sixty-four of these 
fabrics have been discovered in different parts of Ire- 
land, of various heights, the tallest measuring no less 



* Coll. de Reb. Hib. vol. vi. page 176. 

t As the Ogham character was a mysterious one, whose import 
was known only to the priesthood, and which no person at the pre- 
sent day pretends to decypher, it seems somewhat bold to assert 
that they marked the cycles. 



64f 

than one hundred and thirty-seven feet : their diame-» 
ters are from twelve to nineteen, and the thickness 
of the walls, in general, between three and four feet ; 
when the height of the tower is unusually great, it 
increases to a few inches more. Many of them are 
built of hewn stone, and those that remain entire are 
crowned with a conical cap of the same materials. 
The entrance is by a small door, generally situated 
considerably above the foundation ; in some instan- 
ces at the apparently inconvenient height of twenty- 
four feet: but at Swords, in the neighbourhood of 
Dublin, and at Cluanmacnose, in the King's county, 
there are towers which have the entrance on a level 
with the ground. Various small apertures are ob- 
servable at different elevations above the doors, and 
at different sides of the building, which were pro- 
bably made for the purpose of affording light to the 
stories into which the tower was divided, or to the 
stairs or flights of steps which conducted to the up- 
per apartment. The latter was lighted by four large 
windows placed opposite to the cardinal points. 
Some persons, however, notwithstanding these ap- 
pearances, contend that they were never divided into 
stories, but always left open from top to bottom, as 
they are at present. 

At a distance, several of these towers have the ap- 
pearance of colossal pillars, and in certain positions 
they produce a most striking effect. Were I to single 



65 

out any one as more particularly calculated to im- 
press the mind of a person who beholds it for the 
first time, it would be that at Glendalough, the Glen 
of the two lakeSy in the county of Wicklow. This 
tower is situated near the ruins of some old churches, 
on the banks of a lake, in a deep and soHtary valley, 
surrounded by lofty mountains. The prospect of it 
opens very suddenly at a bend of the road ; and if a 
stranger has not been prepared for the sight by a pre- 
vious description, he may be almost tempted to be- 
lieve that what he sees is the illusion of his fancy, so 
extraordinary does it appear to meet with a stately 
column in such a wild and desolate situation. The 
tower of Aghadoe was constructed with hewn stone ; 
but, exposed during the lapse of ages, on the summit 
of a lofty hill, to the influence of the elements, it has 
yielded to the shocks of time, and at present is in a 
very perishable state. Its shattered remains are not 
more than fifteen feet in height. 

In different parts of the w^ork entitled Collectanea 
de Rebus Hibernicis, and in Dr Ledwich's Essays on 
the Antiquities of Ireland, a minute description may 
be found of these towers, together with disquisitions 
on the probable purpose for which they were erected. 
Various opinions have been entertained on this sub- 
ject, and each one has been warmly defended. It 
has been severally supposed that they were employed 
as beacons or watch-towers 5 as places of punislnnent 



6^- 

for those wlio had sinned against the ordinances of 
the early Christian church ; as the habitations of the 
anchorite monks, called Pillar Saints ; as stations 
from which the priest, by his voice, or the sound of 
some instrument, summoned the people to prayer ; 
or, which is the opinion most generally received, as 
belfries. To mention the numerous arguments which 
have been adduced in support of each of these sup- 
positions, would be alike tedious and unnecessary, 
since common observation is sufficient to refute most 
of them* 

It is evident, for instance, that lofty towers, in- 
tended only for the communication of signals, would 
neither have been erected at the bottom of deep val- 
leys, nor on the summit of very high hills : in the 
one position they would have been concealed by the 
surrounding heights, in the other, their additional 
elevation could have contributed but little to the 
purpose of the institution. 

Equally inconsistent is it with probability to ima- 
gine they were designed as places of punishment ; 
where the criminal, contrary to all analogy, contrary 
to the usage of every nation both ancient and mo- 
dern, was exalted to the most airy and agreeable 
apartment of the prison, instead of being precipitated 
into the depths of a dungeon. Their contracted di- 
mension, moreover, militates very strongly against 
this supposition. 



67 

When the mind of man falls a prey to fanaticism, 
his notions become so absurd, and his practices so 
extravagant and capricious, that we read, without 
surprise, in the early history, of the church, of asce- 
tics who fixed their abode on the summit of lofty 
pillars ; but the pillar on which Simon Stylites per- 
formed the extraordinary penances which gave cele- 
brity to his name was not hollow ; it is distinctly 
stated that he stood on a small platform, on the sum- 
mit, exposed to the weather, the vicissitudes and se* 
verity of which he patiently endured for thirty years.* 
His imitators, who obtained the name of pillar saints^ 
in relaxing their penances, might have provided some 
sort of shelter, but there is no positive testimony to 
the fact ; and it seems highly improbable that edifices, 
so costly as these towers, should have been erected 
for the mere purpose of enabling a solitary fanatic to 
realize his wild projects of self-mortification. 

Dr Ledwich himself appears quite satisfied that the 
towers were erected for belfries ; andj in support of 
this opinion, he states that they are always found in 
the vicinity of churches, and generally next to that 
end which was afterwards allotted to the steeple ;-— 
that in many instances, in Ireland as w^ell as Great 
Britain, the steeple stood apart ; — and that, after it 
became the practice to unite' it v/ith the church, tlie 

* Gibbon, chap. 37. 



6« 

it)und toners were connected in the same fliannef as 
square steeples, — examples of which are to be seen in 
two of the ruined churches at Glendalough. Now^ 
as to these round steeples, they are certainly built 
very like the solitary towers, and are similarly termi- 
nated with a conical stone cap ; but their circumfe- 
rence is much more contracted, — their height incon- 
siderable, — they are erected on a single broad arch, 
and, to me, evidently appear an imitation of the an- 
cient fabrics. ^ 

It cannot admit of a doubt, however, that many of 
these towers were at some period used as belfries ; 
but, taking this for granted, it by no means follows 
that they were originally constructed for that pur- 
pose* If so, why should the doors have been placed 
at such an inconvenient height as to render the as- 
sistance of a long ladder necessary to get into them ? 
This one question appears to carry with it insuper- 
able objections to the supposition of their being built 
expressly for belfries ; but if, at the time when large 
bells were first introduced into Ireland, the towers- 
had been standing, it is very probable that the inha- 
bitants would have employed them for that purpose. 
Instead of building such square steeples as were com- 
mon in the neighbouring countries. 

In the midst of these difficulties, the conjecture of 
General Vallancey, the ingenious editor of Collecta- 
nea de Rebus Hibernicis, ofiers itself to our notice j- 



€9 

and though, in common with the preceding theories, 
it is liable to several objections, and cannot be con- 
sidered as absolutely conclusive, yet it appears to me 
to be entitled to a far more respectful attention than 
any one which has been hitherto advanced. After 
having been at considerable pains to prove the early 
establishment of an oriental colony in Ireland, from 
the conformity of its language* and the resemblance 
of its mythology to those of countries in the east, he 
concludes that these towers were built, for the display 
of the sacred fires, which were kept burning in ho- 
nour of the pagan deities, " The pagan Irish," says 
he, " worshipped Crom Cruait, the same god Zoro^ 
aster adored in fire, first on mountain tops, then in 



* I had not been a week landed in Ireland from Gibraltar, where 
I had studied Hebrew and Chaldaic, under Jews of various countries 
and denominations, when I heard a peasant girl say to a boor stand- 
ing by, " Feach an maddinag.'* Behold the morning star: the mad- 
dina-nag of the Chaldeans, — J3 DOIO Maiddinag, the morning star 
(Shaw.) 

Shortly afterwards, being benighted with a party, in the moun^ 
tains of the western parts of the county of Cork, we lost the path, 
when an aged cottager undertook to be our guide. It was a fine 
starry night. In our way, the peasant, pointing to the constellation 
Orion, said, that was Caomai, or the armed Icing, and he described 
the three upright stars to be his spear or sceptre, and the three ho- 
rizontal stars to be his sword-belt. I could not doubt their being 
the Cimah of Job, which the learned Costard asserts to be the con- 
stellation Orion. JIDD Caomai, an armed man (Shaw.) Arabic, 
Kami, armed. The reader, from this circumstance, may judge with 
what eagerness I was impelled to study the Irish language, — Collect^ 
de Relf. Hib, vol, VI. p, 315. 



70 

caves, and afterwards in towers.* He adds the fol- 
lowing passage from Prideaux : — ' ' The Persians first 
made the holy fires on the tops of hills ; but Zoroas- 
ter, finding that these fires in the open air were often 
extinguished by rain, tempests, or storms, directed 
that fire4owers should be built, that they might the 
better be preserved/* It is scarcely possible to con^ 
ceive buildings more suitable for the purpose than 
the Irish round towers 5 and if any mystery had been 
observed in supplying them with fuel, which may be 
readily imagined, the elevated position of the door 
was well calculated to exclude the prying eye of cu* 
riosity, and conceal what was doing within. 

The following observation of General Vallancey 
upon Mr Pelham's account of the Ogham inscription, 
is entitled to peculiar attention : " Jgh^ signifies j^r^, 
and also the word doigh^ pronounced doe. I think 
there must have formerly been here either a fire-tower, 
or an altar, dedicated to the fire of fires — the sun."t 
The commanding and conspicuous situation of the 
hill of Aghadoe would have justly entitled it to that 



* Collect, de Reb. Hib. vol. VI. page 122. 

f I have every reason to believe that General Vallancey was to- 
tally unacquainted with the circumstance of the remains of a round 
tower being still visible at Aghadoe, until I had the pleasure of in-? 
forming him of it, some time after his remarks on the Ogham in- 
scription were published. Aghadoe is mentioned in some lists of 
the places where towers stood, and omitted in others : It was very 
possible, therefore, that it might have escaped his notice. 



name, had a sacred fire been maintained on its sum- 
mit. 

The arguments which have been adduced to prove 
that no stone buildings but such as were of the most 
humble and rude description, existed in Ireland be- 
fore the arrival of the Danes, and that these towers 
must therefore have been erected subsequent to that 
period, appear far from conclusive. That the Irish, 
at a very remote period, were in possession of the se- 
cret of smelting and working various metals, is un- 
questionable ;* and it may well be supposed, that the 
same people who made them acquainted with these 
important and valuable arts, also instructed them in 
that of masonry, though they might never have availed 
themselves of their knowledge, excepting in the con- 
struction of the sacred towers. We are told of many 
large cities in the east where no buildings are allowed 
of stone or brick but those which are appropriated to 
the chief magistracy, or set apart for the uses of re- 
ligion : and in countries which abound with wood, as 
Ireland did formerly, and America does now, buildi- 
ings of that material are commonly preferred for the 
purposes of domestic life, on account of their cheap- 
ness and their supposed warmth. To infer from that 



* See the many descriptions in Coll. de Reb. Hib. of rings of gol(J, 
anklets, crowns, &c. ; and particularly of the instruments found in 
the bog of Culien, under two successive strata of bog, trees and 



*72 

passage of Bede, wherein he relates that the cathe-? 
dral of Lindisfarne, or Holy island, was built in the 
year 652, more Scotorum^ after the manner of the 
Scots or Irish, with wood, and covered with reeds,— * 
that none but wooden buildings were known in Ire^ 
land at that period, is as absurd as it would be to 
conclude that no stone buildings are now to be found 
in America, because a house has been erected in 
England after the American manner, with logs of 
w^ood, and covered with shingles. 

As to the remark, that these round towers are aU 
ways situated near churches, it might be stated, con- 
versely, perhaps with as much propriety, that the 
churches are built contiguous to the towers. It is 
w^U known that the earlv Christian missionaries were 
content, in many instances, to accommodate their 
worship to that of their pagan proselytes ; either be^ 
cause it was impracticable to eradicate every trace of 
idolatry, or because they found by experience that 
the great work of conversion was likely to be more 
effectually promoted by yielding, in some degree, to 
habitual prejudice, than by insisting on a total dere- 
liction of opinions supported by the sanction of ages. 
Hence many of the heathen temples, and places con- 
secrated to their gods, were eagerly appropriated to 
Christian worship. Enthusiasm was kept alive by in- 
dulging a veneration for objects which had been long 
held sacred j and the people were gradually induced 



73 

to transfer their adoration to the true Deity. In Ire* 
Jand, it maybe presumed that churches were erected 
in the vicinity of the fire-towers, in the places dedi* 
cated to the sun ; and, when a suitable occasion of- 
fered, by the introduction of bells, for rendering 
these stately relics of the ancient superstition subser*. 
vient to the uses of Christian worship, it would gladly 
have been seized, — just as the statue of Jupiter Capi- 
tolinus at Rome, a key having been substituted for 
the thunder-bolt, and a glory added to the head, was 
brought forward to the superstitious multitude, as an 
exact representation of the holy apostle Saint Peter. 
Sir Richard Colt Hoare, whose authority I adduce 
w4th deference, inclines to the opinion of these towers 
being Christian edifices, and built about the ninth 
century;* and he thinks that the figure of Christ 
upon the cross, sculptured upon the key stone over 
the door of the tower at Denoughmore, decidedly 
proves that they were not of pagan origin. But 
might not this stone have been sculptured after it 
w^as placed in the wall ? And even admitting that 
some of the towers were built in Christian times, it 
by no means follows that none of them were erected 
previous to that period. The round steeples attached 
to the stone-roofed churches at Glendalough, appear 
to me to be of a date posterior to that of some of the 

* Tour in Ireland. Round Towers. 



solitaiy towers ; and if the form was so much admi- 
red as to be used for steeples in these instances, it 
seems by no means improbable that single towers of 
greater height and superior workmanship to the ori- 
ginal structures might have been built at a subse- 
quent aera. 

The earliest writer who takes notice of these singu- 
lar edifices is Giraldus Cambrensis, who wrote about 
the year 1185. He expressly calls them ecclesiastical 
towers ; and Dr Ledwich* endeavours to prove, from 
the grammatical construction of the passage, that 
Giraldus might have seen the Irish in the very act of 
building them. " It was a singular and striking 
spectacle,^' says Dr Ledwich, " for our author to be- 
hold so great a number of these towers dispersed 
over the country, all of the same figure and fashion, 
contiguous to wooden churches, and supporting bells 
to summon the vicinity to religious duties, or to warn 
them of approaching danger. Surely it must be 
esteemed a gross perversion of common sense, to ex- 
tract from Cambrensis' plain words any other mean- 
ing than that now given. He was fully competent 
to deliver a simple fact \ nor did the objects he was 
describing require the microscopic eyes of some mo- 
dern antiquarians.'* Now Giraldus says not one word 
either of w^ooden churches or of bells, or of religious 

. * Essays pn Irish Antiquities, 



75 

duties, or of dangers ; and whoever will read the ori- 
ginal passage, must be persuaded that Dr Ledwich 
lias indulged his fancy to no small extent upon this 
occasion. It occurs in his chapter concerning a great 
laJie xchich had a xvonderful origin^* wherein a mar- 
vellous traditional story is related of a very wicked 
race of people having been swept away by a flood, 
and the country which they inhabited converted into 
a lake, (at present known by the name of Lough 



* Topograpbia Hibern. 2 Hb. cap. ix. 

Est Jacus in ultonia mirae magnitudinis triginta mill. pass, in Ion- 
gum et quindecim in latum habens. Ex quo eximiae pulcbritudinis 
qui et Banna vocatur flurius erumpit, et in Borealem oceanum se trans- 

fundit,^ Huic vero lacui, mirabiles ut aiunt casus initium dedit. 

Fuit in terra ilia, quam nunc lacus obtinet, gens ab antiquissimis tem- 

poribus, vitiosissima. Fuerat autem in ore populi, verbum ce- 

lebre, quod quam cito fons quidam terras illius (qui exreverentiade 
barbara superstitione sibi exhibita operculum habebat et signaculum) 
discopertus relinqueretur, tanta statim inundatione fons exuberaret, 
ut litam provinciam illam et gentem simul diluerat et deleret. 

Contiget autem aliquando mulierculam quandam bauriendi causa 
ad foptem accessisse quae, vaso impleto, nee dum fonte signato ad 
parvulam suum, quem tamen non procul inde positum plorantem, 
audivit, commota mater ejus cujus occurrit, et quia vox populi vox 
Dei maturans reditum tanta scaturigine fontem exuberantem oflPen- 
dit, ut et ipsam statim cum puero totamque gentem illam et pecora 
tanquam diluvio quodam particulari seu provinciali in bora submer- 
git. Cumque totam terrae illius faciem aquarum jam velaret uber* 
tas stabilis permanens stagnum fecit. 

Hujiis autem eventus argumentum est non improhahilcy quodpisca- 
fores aqiice illius turres ecclesiasticas quae more patriae arctcB sunt et 
altcB nee non et rolundce sub undis manifeste sereno tempore conspicif 
unt s et extraneis transeuntihus reique causas admirantibusjrequenter 
ostendunt. 



7(5 

Neagh :) " And this story,'* says Giraldus, «^ seems 
not improbable, because the fishermen of that lake, 
in serene weather, can distinctly see, beneath the wa- 
ter, ecclesiastical towers, which, after the manner of 
the country, are built round, lofty, and narrow ; and 
they frequently point them out to strangers when 
crossing the lake, who wonder at the cause of this 
circumstance." 

The obvious inference from this passage is, that 
even in the days of Giraldus these towers were con- 
sidered as objects of great antiquity, and not that he 
saw them building : had they been all notoriously of 
recent construction, the argument drawn in favour of 
the truth of the tradition, from the supposed appear* 
ance of towers at the bottom of the lake, would have 
been absurd. 

At whatever period these extraordinary fabrics 
were erected, the question is still extremely interest, 
ing, whether the plan was of original Irish or of fo- 
reign invention. No traces of such works have been 
discovered, it is said, in any other part of Europe, 
excepting in two instances in Scotland, in the counties 
of Angus and of Murray ; and these towers differ in 
several respects from the Irish ones. The conjecture 
that they are of eastern origin, has received a very 
strong corroboration of late from the testimony of 
Lord Valentia, published in his Travels through In* 
dia. In describing the town of ]Bhaugulpore, his 



77 

lordship says, — " I was much pleased with the sight 
of two very singular round towers about a mile north- 
west of the town. They much resemble those build-* 
ings in Ireland which have hitherto puzzled the anti- 
quaries of the sister kingdom, excepting that they 
are more ornamented. It is singular that there is no 
tradition concerning them, nor are they held in any 
respect by the Hindoos of this country. The Rajah 
of Jyenaghur considers them as holy, and has erected 
a small building to shelter the great number of his 
subjects who annually come to worship." A view of 
these towers, by Mr Salt, is given in his lordship's 
Travels ; the resemblance to those of Ireland in the 
elevated position of the door, the stone roof, and the 
four large windows at the summit, is very remarkable# 
At a short distance from the cathedral of Aghadoe, 
towards the south-west, the ruins of a second tower, 
very different, however, from the former one, are ob- 
servable. The country people give it the name of 
the pulpit ; but from what cause I could not learn. 
From being situated in the centre of a square area, 
defended by a ditch and rampart, it appears to have 
been once a place of strength. At two of the sides 
the ramparts are doubled, and there are traces of 
bastions at the angles. The height of the tower is 
about thirty feet ; its diameter twenty-one feet ; and 
the thickness of the walls at the base seven feet. It 
was divided into three stories, in the first of which 



1a 



there was a fire-place ; the chimney belonging to ifc 
is carried up through the battlements, and is still en* 
tire. There was also a large window in this story 
opening to the south, and two small ones in opposite 
directions. The door-case is much dilapidated* To 
the left of it, between a double wall, appears a stair- 
case which conducts to the first story ; beyond that, 
the ascent was continued by a flight of stones, fast* 
ened at one end into the v^^all, a few only of which 
now remain. 

There are some other remains of the works of an* 
cient times on the hills that arise behind the flat, 
which contribute to show that this neighbourhood 
was formerly much distinguished. They should on 
no account be left unnoticed, as the beauty of the 
surrounding scenery will amply compensate those 
who do not derive gratification from examining mere 
antiquities. The most remarkable of these remains 
is a circle formed of seven large stones, placed in the 
ground in an upright position, and enclosed within a 
circular mound of earth. The inner circle is fourteen 
feet in diameter ; the outer one seventy-two. Sixty 
feet from the latter, towards the south, two large up- 
right stones appear, very near each other ; the tallest 
of which is about eleven feet in height, measuring 
from the surface of the ground, and eighteen in cir- 
cumference : they lie nearly east and west, the larg-. 
er one being towards the east. 



to 

The similarity of this circle, and the still more 
striking similarity of several larger circles, that have 
been discovered in other parts of Ireland, to some of 
the druidical remains in the isle of Anglesea, afford 
strong grounds for believing that they were con- 
structed by the same order of men** But notwith- 
standing this circumstance, as well as the exact re- 
semblance of the cromlechs in Ireland to those found 
in Anglesea, which are generally admitted to be the 
work of the druids, it is maintained by several writers 
on Irish antiquities, that the druids were unknown 
in Ireland 5 and these stone circles are attributed to 
the votaries of Budth, the Phoebus or Apollo of the 
Irish, who, like Vishnou, the Apollo of the brahmins, 
is supposed to have undergone nine incarnations: 
hence the nine stones of which the circles are found 
most commonly to be composed. The number in 
other instances is supposed to have been indicative 
of the cycles, or emblematical of the heavenly bodies. 
In this temple the two larger stones might have re- 
presented the sun and moon, which were both ob-= 
jects of adoration ; and the seven smaller stones in 
the circle, the remainder of the planetary system. 
By others, however, it is asserted that these circles 



* Bryn Gwyn, or the druids' church, in the isle of Anglesea, con- 
sisted of a circle fifty -two yards in diameter, formed of stones four 
feet high ; and at a short distance from the circle stood two upright 
stones twelve feet high. 



so 

were not formed for religious purposes, but were pla- 
ces set apart for the inauguration of the ancient kings 
of the country, or for the promulgation of the laws : 
and these contradictory opinions are alike defended 
with pertinacity, although unsupported by testimony. 
We may, on these occasions, indulge conjectures 
amusing to the theorist ; but I fear we can form no 
conclusion likely to be at all beneficial to the historian,. 

This circle stands in the corner of a field, at the 
distance of somewhat less than half a mile from the 
turnpike, on the Cork road. I came to it by accident, 
and I could not learn that it had attracted the notice 
of any of the neighbouring inhabitants. It may rea- 
dily be found by ascending the wooded heights bor- 
dering upon the river on the left hand, immediately 
after passing the broken bridge near the turnpike. 

On the hills to the east of the river Mesk, two for- 
tifications of remote antiquity also claim attention. 
.They are situated on that side of the river which lies 
nearest to Castle lough, and may be readily approach- 
ed by following the road which commences near the 
bridge. The first of them is of a circular form, in 
diameter about thirty yards, surrounded with a fosse 
and rampart. On the south side of the area there is 
an oblong pit faced with stone, at the bottom of 
each end of which a small hole, scarcely sufficient to 
admit a man on his hands and knees, is observable. 
I was informed, by the proprietor of the place, that 



81 

these holfes are the entrances of very extensive sub- 
terranean passages, into which people have proceeded 
a considerable distance with lights ; but at present 
the way is choked with rubbish. In some respects 
this fort resembles the raths, or Danish forts, so com- 
mon in every part of Ireland ; but it is neither so 
much elevated by art as they are, nor is it placed in 
such a conjmanding natural situation. 

The second one is about a quarter of a mile dis* 
taut ; it may be enumerated amongst 

Our forts on »teepy hills, that, far below. 
See wanton streams in winding vallejs flow. 

It very much resembles those of Roman construc- 
tion which are commonly seen in England, and con- 
sists of a square of about forty yards, whose sides 
nearly correspond with the cardinal points ; the ram- 
parts and ditch are tolerably perfect. Here the river 
Flesk may be traced in all its windings through a 
valley ten miles in length, up to the hill on which 
the fort stands ; at the base of which it makes a bold 
sweep, and, after passing a bridge of nineteen arches, 
is seen at a distance gliding peaceably into the lake. 

This fort seems to have been erected for the pro- 
tection of the entrance into the valley, which there 
is reason to believe, from the ruined castles observ- 
able in different parts of it, was formerly a pass of 

F 



82 

great consequence : it is said that the road from Kil- 
larney to Cork once passed through it. 

Amidst the varied prospects which these hills af- 
ford, that from the summit of Aghadoe has been 
pointed out by Dr Smith, in his History of Kerry, as 
one of the most beautiful, and subsequent writers 
have been content to follow his description. From 
this position there is, indeed, a very distinct view of 
the limits of the lake ; but, instead of a fine picture, 
the spectator is presented as it were with a map of 
the country : the picturesque beauty of the scenery 
vanishes before you ascend one third of the hill. , 

The most pleasing views from Aghadoe are found 
in the vicinity of a road which runs along its base at 
a short distance from the lake, leading from the town 
of Killarney to the river Laune. As for the hill it- 
self, occupied by small fields divided by stone fences 
and banks of arid earth, without a tree, and almost 
without a bush for miles, it afibrds nothing interest- 
ing in a picturesque point of view. The bleakness of 
this tract is, however, forgotten in a great measure, 
whilst the eye is engaged in examining the distant 
landscape j and even if it should be observed and 
should offend, like discords that are introduced in 
music to increase the sweetness of the returning har- 
mony, it will serve to give additional value to the 
wooded scenes which appear once more on the banks 
of the river Laune. Here Grenagh, the seat of Ma- 



83 

jor Bland, situated on the near bank of the river, at- 
the head of a sloping lawn adorned by numerous fine 
trees, and commanding an extensive view of the lake 
towards Mucruss, attracts the attention ; and, on the 
opposite side, Dunloh castle and the country around 
it will amply repay those who take delight in rural 
variety for the pains of crossing the river at the bridge, 
which lies about half a mile lower down the stream. 

Dunloh castle seems to have been erected for the 
double purpose of guarding the river and a defile in 
the great chain of mountains. It stands on the sum- 
mit of a small conical hill, whose apex has been cut 
down to afford a more convenient space for the build- 
ing ; and from its position it must, before the use of 
artillery, have been a place of great strength. In the 
wars of the Earl of Desmond, during the reigns of 
Henry the Eighth and Queen Elizabeth, it suffered 
considerably ; but it was rebuilt about the period of 
Sir George Carew's administration in Munster. In 
after times, when the parliamentary forces came into 
this country, it was again attacked, and a great part 
of it demolished by a bombardment. A solitary square 
tower, which originally constituted but a small pro- 
portion of the fabric, still remains entire, and has 
been converted into a dwelling-house, ingeniously 
planned, which affords more room and convenience 
than could be expected from the exterior aspect. 
This castle is the property of Major Mahony. The 



84 

hill on which it stands is thickly covered with trees, 
so that no part of the lake, or of the surrounding 
country, is seen from the area or platform in front of 
the castle, and a very confined view alone opens from 
its windows ; but from its battlements there is a full 
prospect of the lake, and of the river Laune in all its 
windings. The view of this place, taken from the 
banks of the riyer, discovers, in the distance, the de- 
file already mentioned, known by the name of Dun- 
loh gap. 

Amidst the vast mountainous region on the west- 
ern side of the county of Kerry, there is no scene 
which exhibits a more varied and sublime combina- 
tion of the boldest features of uncultivated nature 
than the gap of Dunloh. By some terrific and mighty 
operation, the chain of mountains at this place seems 
to have been abruptly severed, and the stupendous 
rocks of which it was formed, rent asunder, and dis- 
persed in wild disorder through the chasm. On the 
brow of the mountain which guards the entrance on 
the right hand, immense projecting masses of stone, 
suspended in their lofty beds, overhang the pass, 
threatening destruction to all who approach this sa- 
vage solitude ; and the vast fractured stones which 
are observable at the base of the cliff, plainly indicate 
that the danger has not always been imaginary. One 
almost shudders at thinking of the horrible crash which 
must have been produced by these ponderous stones. 



8; 



Tumbling all precipitate clown dashed, 
Rattling around, loud thundering to the moon, 

whilst the echoes, in the still retirement, repeated the 
tremendous sound through the windings of the vale. 
A clear stream at the bottom of the defile winds 
amongst the rocks, 



now rapid, and now slow ; 



Now murmuring soft, now roaring in cascades. 

This stream forms a communication between a chain 
of small lakes, some of which are very deep, but 
others seem only to be a dilatation of the stream, 
where it has been obstructed in its course, by the ac- 
cumulated ruins of the impending precipice* 

To open a communication between the country in 
the vicinity of the river Laune and that bordering 
upon Kenmare river, a road has lately been cut 
through this defile, under the direction of Major 
Mahony ; in the conduct of which he has shown 
great taste and judgment. In some places it passes 
along the edge of precipices where the way has been 
with great difficulty cut through the solid stone ; in 
Others, between immense detached rocks which have 
fallen from the mountain, and which are just suffi- 
ciently separated from each other to admit a single 
carriage, thus affording a natural passage that could 
hot have been opened elsewhere without prodigious 
labour and expense. Where the obstacles on one 



S6 

side of the defile could not be surmounted, the road 
has been carried to the other, traversing the stream 
over bridges of solid construction and not inelegant 
form. One of these, situated at the head of a cas- 
cade, and resting at each end on a single stone, has 
a most romantic appearance. The length of the de- 
file is three miles ; and at the termination of it a 
view is discovered of the upper lake, which may be 
readily approached on foot in this direction. The 
new road is not yet adapted to carriages, owing to 
the narrowness of the passes in some places, and the 
steepness and ruggedness of the rocks in others : it 
was made chiefly for the use of the mountaineers, 
who invariably transport their butter and other ar- 
ticles of rural commerce on horses. Great advan- 
tages can already be perceived from opening this 
communication ; and when the country becomes rich- 
er, and can sustain the additional expense, it is intend- 
ed to widen the road, and to render it commodious in 
every respect. 

No very striking features distinguish the tract 
which lies between Dunloh castle and the mountains, 
on the border of the lake ; it is divided for the most 
part into fields, and there are few trees, except what 
grow in the hedge-rows. The rising grounds, in- 
deed, command prospects of the lake ; but they are 
very much inferior to those which open from Mu- 
cruss on the opposite shore. 



87 

The ancient family seat of Macarthy-wzor^, or the 
great, stood here ; and its remains may still be seen 
near a small grove not far from the water side. This 
chief, to acquire a more secure title to his extensive 
possessions, in those times of anarchy and confisca- 
tion, surrendered them to Queen Elizabeth, who im- 
mediately afterwards re-conveyed them to him by 
letters patent, and created him Earl of Glencar. 

To the south of Dunloh castle there are no roads, 
except such narrow passes as are made for the con- 
venience of the farmers who live at the foot of the 
mountains ; but a good w^alker might proceed along 
the mountain-shore, and entirely round the three 
lakes, unless when the rivers are swollen by rains ; at 
which time many of them are impassable. This route 
however is full of difficulties, and should on no ac- 
count be attempted by any but the vigorous and ac- 
tive ; for a whole day is scarcely sufficient to accom- 
plish it, and woe to the benighted wanderer in this 
wild and uninhabited district ! 



88 



SECTION II. 



Having thus taken a survey of the shores of the lower 
lake, from Mucruss, at the foot of Turk mountain, to 
the gap of Dunloh, and pointed out those obje^cts 
which appeared to me best deserving of notice, I 
shall next endeavour to direct the attention to those 
parts of the scenery which are seen to most advan- 
tage in the course of an excursion on the water. 

The common place of embarkation for strangers 
who sojourn in the town is at the head of Ross bay, 
at a quay under the walls of the castle, this being the 
nearest part of the lake to which there is a communis 
cation by a carriage road. Persons who prefer walk- 
ing will, however, find a much more agreeable route 
than the high road, and not much longer, through 
Lord Kenmare's grounds, along the banks of the ri- 
ver Deanagh ; but the propriety of taking boat near 
the mouth of this river depends upon the course that 
it is intended afterwards to pursue, upon the state of 
the wind, and also upon that of the lake ; for, in dry 
weather, the water is sometimes so low as not to ad- 



89 

mit a boat to approach within many yards of the 
shore. 

From the town to the castle of Ross the distance is 
about an EngHsh mile and a half The road runs 
along a flat, and, as it affords little to gratify the eye 
of one who is anticipating the pleasures of arriving at 
the lake, it invariably appears tedious and uninterest- 
ing. Indeed few strangers visit Killarney without 
having occasion to lament that there is no public 
place of accommodation in the immediate vicinity of 
the lake. Much time is always lost in passing and 
repassing this road, and considerable inconvenience 
is often experienced in getting back to the town at 
night, after the fatigues of a day spent upon the wa- 
ter. Horses, carriages, and attendants, that wait the 
precarious return of a party, are sometimes necessa- 
rily detained many hours, during which they are com- 
monly obHged to remain on the open beach exposed 
to all the casualties of this uncertain climate. If a 
spacious and well-regulated inn were established on 
the borders of the lake, and there are many excellent 
situations for one, it could not fail to remunerate the 
proprietor. 

Strangers are very liberally accommodated with 
the use of Lord Kenmare's boats, which are hand- 
some and commodious. To the superintendant of 
them, who either acts himself, or substitutes a person 
properly qualified, as guide, a small gratuity is given : 



90 

the boatmen have an established hire of one English 
shilling each, if they are not ordered beyond the li- 
mits of the lower lake ; if they go further, they re- 
ceive half as much more. It is usual to allow them 
refreshments if they are kept out the whole day ; an 
indulgence that is too frequently abused by their 
drinking to excess, to which they are addicted, in 
common with most of their countrymen in the same 
rank of life. When any of them unfortunately be- 
come intoxicated, and no precaution will always be 
effectual to preserve sobriety, disorder seldom fails to 
ensue, attended at least with inconvenience, and 
sometimes even with danger, to the party. In this, 
as in most other mountainous regions, storms are fre- 
quent ; and when the lake is exposed to their fury, 
its waves become so boisterous that skill and strength 
are requisite to resist their impetuosity. To those 
who are accustomed to behold the billows of the 
ocean, the danger arising from the waves upon a ba- 
sin of water not more than six miles in extent may be 
regarded perhaps with contempt ; but the lower lake 
sometimes presents the most frightful images of ele- 
mental warfare. 

A gentleman living near Killarney, who had often 
crossed the ocean, assured me he had more than once 
beheld it so much agitated by the hurricanes which 
descend in circling eddies through the passes between 
the mountains, that the waves, drifted together, an4 



91 

raised to an immense height above the surface, assu- 
med the terrific aspect of a water-spout. Though 
such tremendous storms are seldom experienced in 
summer, yet, as squalls occur even during that sea- 
son, no boats should be used that are not able to en- 
counter heavy waves. For the same reason, vessels 
with sails cannot be employed without the greatest 
care : those belonging to Lord Kenmare are all con- 
ducted with oars. The boatmen, in general, when 
sober, are very prudent ; and as, from long expe- 
rience, they are well acquainted with the prognostics 
of bad weather, their judgment and management 
may be safely relied on. 

The navigation of the lake is represented as unsafe 
to those who are unacquainted with the rocks ; but 
the peril in this respect is somewhat exaggerated. 
The greatest danger to be apprehended from rocks 
is when the lake either rises considerably above, or 
sinks below, its ordinary level. In the former case, 
those rocks which commonly appear above water are 
covered, but not sufficiently deep to admit the pass- 
age of a large boat over them ; and they are so nu- 
merous, that it is almost impossible to remember the 
precise situation of each. I have many times been 
carried against them by boatmen of reputed expe- 
rience. Similar accidents happen when the lake is 
unusually low. In the summer of the year 1803, the 
water, from a long continuance of dry weather, sunk 



so much, that a great many rocks were laid bare 
which had never been seen before that period. A 
large sail boat, belonging to a gentleman residing 
near the lake, navigated by men who were supposed 
to be thoroughly acquainted with every dangerous 
point, was very nearly lost during this season, by 
getting entangled in a reef of rocks near the Brown 
island, over which there usually was found a sufficient 
depth of Water ; and it was not extricated without 
very great difficulty and danger. If, however, we 
contrast the infrequency of untoward accidents with 
the great concourse of people who venture on the 
lake, at all seasons of the year, and if we reflect that 
giddiness is the usual concomitant of festivity, we 
may conclude that the navigation is almost exempt 
from danger. 

On approaching the lake in the vicinity of Ross 
castle, some disappointment is at first generally expe- 
rienced from the flatness and marshiness of the shore, 
The latter part of the road is a mere causeway over 
a morass or bog near the castle, which is reduced to a 
ftarrow isthmus by inlets of the lake on each side. A 
small canal through this isthmus, which just admits; 
one boat, is the only separation between the main 
land and the island during summer ; but in winter 
the whole isthmus is overflowed. 

The canal affords a ready passage from Ross bay 
to Mucruss J and it also faciUtates that to the upper 



93 

lake when the wind blows fresh hito the bay, at whicK 
time the boats could with difficulty be rowed round 
the northern point of the island. A small bridge is, 
built across the canal, at the foot of which there is a 
large gate, with a guard-house for the protection of 
the approach to the castle : when the castle is garri- 
soned, this gate is regularly closed at night, and sen- 
tinels placed over it. 

Ross castle is built on a rock close to the water. 
The only remains of the old works are a large quad- 
rangular tower, which is still perfect, with two small 
circular flankers in a ruined state. Adjoining the 
former, a barrack has been erected for two hundred 
soldiers, which, together with apartments for officers 
of the castle, stores, stables, ^c, give the place an 
aspect of importance. The castle forms a conspicu- 
ous feature in the landscape from almost every part 
of the lower lake ; but the regularity of the modern 
additions is destructive of the picturesque effect of 
the ancient fabric. The view of it is taken from Reen 
point, near the mouth of the bay of RoSvS. The guard- 
house is distinguishable at a short distance, to the 
left of the castle, on the low plashy ground ; and be- 
yond it is seen a part of the lake, with the distant 
shore and low hills of Mucruss. The pointed moun- 
tain is Tusk, at the foot of which lies the middle, qr 
Tusk lake ; the larger one to the left is Mangerton, 
Between these two mountains there is an extensive 



94 

valley, through which a romantic road is carried from , 
the town of Killarney to the head of Kenmare river. 
On a clear sunny day, a very dehghtful instance of 
gradation of light is generally observable on the side 
of Mangerton from this point. The time for behold- 
ing it is late in the afternoon, when the sun has pass- 
ed behind the mountains of the great chain. Tusk, 
intercepting the rays of the sun, spreads a solemn 
gloom over the landscape at its base, whilst the light 
darting through the opening between it and Man- 
gerton, richly illuminates the bold cliffs w^hich over- 
hang the valley ; and, gradually diminishing along 
the swell of the mountains, casts a fainter and still 
fainter gleam on the projecting rocks, as they recede 
from the source of illumination. 

Ross castle is said to have been built by a power- 
ful sept or tribe of O'Donoghoes. It was a place of 
strength in the time of Cromwell, and resisted for 
some time the attacks of the parliamentary army un- 
der the command of General Ludlow, who gives the 
following account of its capture : 

" In the mean time, I was not wanting in my en- 
deavour to reduce the enemy in Ireland, and to that 
end marched with about four thousand foot, and two 
thousand horse, towards Ross, in Kerry, where the 
Lord Muskerry made his principal rendezvous, and 
which was the only place of strength the Irish had 
left, except the woods, bogs, and mountains, being a 



95 

kind of island encompassed on every part by water, 
except on one side, upon which there is a bog not 
passable but by a causeway which the enemy had for- 
tified. In this expedition I was accompanied by the 
Lords Broghill, and Sir Hardress Waller, major-gene- 
ral of the foot. Being arrived at this place, I was in- 
formed that the enemy received continual supplies 
from those parts that lay on the other side, and were 
covered with woods and mountains ; whereupon I 
sent a party of two thousand foot to clear these 
woods, and to find out some convenient place for the 
erecting a fort, if there should be occasion. These 
forces met with some opposition, but at last they 
routed the enemy, killing some, and taking others 
prisoners ; the rest saved themselves by their good 
footmanship. Whilst this was doing, I employed that 
part of the army which was with me in fortifying a 
neck of land, where I designed to leave a party to keep 
in the Irish on this side, that I might be at liberty, 
with the greatest part of the horse and foot, to look 
after the enemy abroad, and to receive and convoy 
such boats, and other things necessary, as the com- 
missioners sent us by sea. When we had received 
our boats, each of which was capable of containing 
one hundred and twenty men, I ordered one of them 
to be rowed about the water, in order to find out the 
most convenient place for landing upon the enemy ; 
which they perceiving, thought fit, by a timely sub- 



96 

mission, to prevent the danger that threatened them ; 
and having expressed their desires to that purpose, 
commissioners were appointed on both sides to treat. 
A fortnight was spent in debating upon the terms, 
but articles were finally signed, and hostages deli- 
vered on both sides ; in consequence of which ^ve 
thousand horse and foot laid down their arms, and 
surrendered their horses." 

General Ludlow, in this account, does not inform 
us by what means his boats were conveyed to the 
lake ; yet they could not have been brought thither 
without the greatest difficulty. The river Laune, 
which runs from Killarney to the sea, is much too 
shallow, when flowing at its ordinary level, to float a 
boat capable of carrying one hundred and twenty 
men ; and when it is swelled by floods, the current 
acquires an impetuosity that could only tend to aug^ 
ment the difficulty. In the chronological table enti- 
tled Gesta Hibernorum, which is added to the An- 
nals of Sir James Ware, the event is recorded in the 
following words : — " Ross, in the county of Kerry, 
a castle in an island, is yielded up to Ludlow, after 
he had caused a small ship to be carried over the 
mountains and set afloat in the lough, which terrified 
the enemy." Ludlow himself mentions several ves- 
sels. To have conveyed these over the mountains, 
covered as they then were with forests, and along 
roads that were probably little better than bridle- 



97 

paths of the present day, must have been a most dif- 
ficult and enterprising undertaking. 

Ross castle gives rank and emolument to a gover- 
nor. The officer who at present enjoys this dignity 
was indebted, it is said, for his nomination to some 
confusion which arose as to the topography of the 
place from a similarity of names. Having, during 
the disastrous troubles of the year 1793, performed 
an achievement alike honourable to himself and ad- 
vantageous to his country, at the new town of New 
Ross, in the county of Wexford, the government of 
this castle, on the peaceable confines of Killarney, no 
sooner became vacant than he was instantly invested 
with it, through the bounty of his sovereign, as an 
appropriate reward for his meritorious services. 

The island of Ross, a few years since, was one of 
the most enchanting spots within the whole surround- 
ing region. It was then covered to the water's edge 
with majestic oaks, which formed 



a shade 



High rooPd, with walks beneath and alleys brown. 
That open'd in the midst a woody scene : — 
Nature's own work. 

The luxuriant masses of foliage, mixed with the grey 
rocks, the distant mountains, and the wide expanse 
of water interspersed with clusters of wooded islands 
gradually receding behind each other, formed alto- 
gether a combination of natural objects rarely sur- 



98 

passed in picturesque beauty. During the summer 
of the year 1803, these stately trees were all felled ; 
and the tranquillity of this once sequestered and de- 
lightful spot yielded to the noise and bustle of com- 
merce.* The beauty of this island, however, is not. 



* No person who had beheld these woods in all their glory could 
contrast the memory of that state with the present desolation of the 
scene, without inquiring into the motives of their removal. In an- 
swer to my questions on the spot, I was informed that the trees had 
attained their full growth; that many of them had shown symptoms 
of decay ; and that they were declining in value every year. I re- 
ceived the same account of the woods of Glena, the whole of which 
were likewise condemned to fall. With regard to the latter, how- 
ever, which I had full opportunity to examine, an erroneous opinion, 
I am persuaded, had been formed. Some of the trees were decayed, 
and others apparently unhealthy ; but this resulted alone from a to- 
tal neglect of thinning. Had the declining or unhealthy trees been 
removed, and a proper space opened for the extension of the arms 
of the remainder, and the admission of air, the woods would soon 
have assumed a flourishing aspect, and become more valuable. A 
considerable quantity of timber might have been cut with immediate 
profit, and the ultimate value of the woods been augmented. The 
system of thinning Woods, unfortunately for the beauty, and, I be- 
lieve, unfortunately for the benefit of the country, is but little at- 
tended to in Ireland ; so that it is very rare to meet with timber of 
a size suitable for ship-building. In the county of Wicklow, and 
some other parts of the kingdom where oak woods abound, it is the 
practice to cut down all the trees every twenty or twenty -five years, 
on a calculation that the interest of the money for which they sell, add- 
ed to the value of the next growth, during a similar period of time, 
affords a greater produce than the wood would do, if suffered to re- 
main standing for fifty years together. From the accurate observa- 
tions, however, of a gentleman in the county of Wicklow, who pos- 
sesses some of the finest woods I am acquainted with in Ireland, and 
"^vho has himself found the greatest advantage from the system of 



99 

and, fortunately, cannot be, altogether destroyed. 
The bold masses of rocks at the head of the several 
little bays and inlets with which the shores are in- 
dented, crowned with venerable yews, and intersper- 
sed with shrubs and small trees, whose humility saved 
them from the general devastation, still afford admi- 
rable foregrounds, and the more distant part of the 
landscape can only change with the revolutions of 
nature. 

To scenes like these, combining in such rare asso- 



thinning gradually, there can be no doubt but that the latter is a 
practice at once the most profitable to the proprietor, and most be- 
neficial to the country. A discussion of this subject may be found 
in Frazer's Statistical Survey of the County of Wicklow, and also in 
a valuable little Treatise on Planting, published by the late Colonel 
Hayes of Avondale, in the same county. In consequence of the 
prevalent custom of cutting down woods at an early growth, without 
any reservation, oak timber of a gross size bears a most enormous 
price in almost every part of Ireland. I found many persons coming 
to Ross island, from places distant above forty miles, to purchase as 
much oak wood as could be carried away with one horse. The 
common mode of conveyance was to affix, on each side of the horse, 
a piece of timber like the shafts of a cart, to a loop thrown across 
his back, and the other ends were suffered to trail upon the ground. 
The persons who purchased these extensive woods at Killarney 
were allowed twelve years for felling the timber, in what annual 
proportions they please ; though the purchase-money is only payable 
by regular stipulated instalments : the latter was stated to me at fif- 
teen thousand pounds ; and I was informed from good authority, 
that their profits were likely to amount to at least twenty thousand. 
It was some gratification to perceive that parts of Ross island, where 
the woods had been felled, had been afterwards extremely weH 
planted, and fenced with care. 



100 ' 

elation the most attractive objects of simple nature, 
with the melancholy marks of the ravages of man, 
will Genius retire to indulge its raptures, or afflicted 
Sensibility to ease its cares. Wandering one day 
amongst the solitudes of this island, I surprised a poor 
musician, who sat upon a rude stone at the foot of one 
of the few large trees that had escaped the general 
havoc. He seemed wholly absorbed in contempla- 
ting the scene around him, while he drew from his 
instrument tones according with that melancholy 
which the devastation of it was so well calculated to 
inspire. On my approach, he broke off with a wild 
cadence, and entered abruptly into conversation. A 
few words were sufficient to betray a loss of intellect j 
but the incoherent rhapsodies of insanity were replete 
with traits of energy and feeling. He had been play- 
ing, he told me, in different parts of the island for 
five hours that morning ; and, pointing round with 
his hand, asked, with no small degree of enthusiasm, 
if I was not enchanted with the lake, the rocks, the 
mountains ? — For his part, in the midst of such sce- 
nery, with his violin for a companion, he found him- 
self quite happy, and wished for nothing.* The 
neighbouring people, he added, suppHed him with 



* Avez-vous done connu ces rapports invisibles 
Des corps inanimes et des ^tres sensibles ? 
Avez-vouz entendu des eaujf, des pres, des boisj 
La muette eloquence et la secrete voix ? 
3 



101 

food and lodging ; they also gave him clothes to co- 
ver him, and administered to all his wants : in short, 
he was happy — very happy. 

This man possessed considerable talents for mu- 
sic ; he understood composition, and played well on 
a variety of instruments. He had formerly enlisted 
in a regiment of militia as a clarionet player ; but, 
for incorrigible drunkenness, was sentenced to re- 
ceive punishment, and be dismissed from the service* 
The regiment lay at that time in the barracks of Ross 
castle. The culprit was marched in form into the 
adjoining woods, tied to a tree, and the drummers 
began to perform their duty. Through compassion 
for his infirmity, a few lashes only were inflicted, and 
he was then released : but the terror of punishment 
operated so strongly on a mind endowed by nature 
with much sensibility, and debilitated by habitual in- 
toxication, that he became almost instantaneously 
deprived of his senses, and never afterwards perfectly 
recovered them. 

The retirement of Ross island was likewise inter- 
rupted by the re-opening of the mines on the western 
side of the island. These mines were worked at a 
very early period, and numerous ancient tools of the 
rudest description have been found about the place ; 
in particular, stones of an oblong spheroidical shape^ 
which appear to have been used as hammers for break- 
ing the ore : the ends are in general much battered, 



102 

and their girths marked with a slight indenture, ob- 
viously intended to confine the ligaments by which 
they were fastened to the handles. The old shafts 
are all filled with water, which is supposed to have 
rushed in owing to the unskilful conduct of the mi- 
ners in carrying their works too near the lake ; and 
the mine lay for a long time totally neglected, until 
the year 1 804, when a gentleman from Cornwall, who 
had examined it some time before, through curiosity, 
whilst occupied with the duties of his military pro- 
fession, undertook himself to open it. A capital, 
raised on shares, was soon provided sufficient for the 
purpose, and the scheme was attended with imme- 
diate advantage. No attempts were made to draw 
off the water from that part of the mine with which 
the shafts communicated, which probably would have 
been a hazardous speculation : the first efforts of the 
adventurers were directed solely to draining a nar- 
row oblong pit, which appeared formerly to have been 
opened with a view of following a vein of ore near 
the lake ; and, having attained their object, they dis- 
covered at the bottom of it a rich bed of lead and of 
copper, which was raised with great facility, and af- 
forded for a time considerable profit.* The chief 
produce when I visited the place, in the year 1804, 
was compact and common galena, and yellow copper 

* The works have since proved very unsuccessful. 



103 

ore : the former were both of an excellent quality ; 
but the copper pyrites, from the great proportion of 
iron it contained, seemed inferior to the specimens 
which I have found on the peninsula at Mucruss. 
Brown and yellow blende and grey copper are also 
found at Ross. The vein stone is calcareous, with 
some intermixture of argillaceous schistus. 

Before the company was formed which now con- 
ducts the mine, several speculators were attracted 
hither by the reports which they had heard of the 
richness of the ore. I happened one day to be pre- 
sent whilst two of those people, rough Lancashire 
men, were examining the old works. They soon 
formed a judgment, and at once relinquished the idea 
of engaging in the enterprise ; but the spirit of spe- 
culation was active in their minds. Casting their 
eyes around, they suddenly conceived the project of 
draining the lake ; and began vauntingly to declare 
"what a deal of land they could add to the possessions 
of Lord Kenmare, were he to employ them in such an 
undertaking. I know not whether they would have 
laid their proposals seriously before his lordship, had 
they been allowed to proceed with their calculations 5 
but such an outcry was instantly raised against them 
by the surrounding peasants and by the boatmen, 
whose pride and interest were both alarmed at the 
idea of the lake being converted into dry land, that 
the poor frighted engineers were well pleased to re- 



104 

linquish their golden dreams, and to obtain imme- 
diate safety by a precipitate retreat. 

Attempts were actually made, some years ago, to 
reduce the water in the lake, for the purpose of faci- 
litating the operations at the mines of Mucruss. To 
this end, a cut was made from the river Laune near 
Dunloh castle, which it was imagined, by avoiding a 
sand-bar, would enable a greater quantity of water to 
escape ; but the alteration it made in the level of the 
lake was scarcely perceptible. Should this object at 
any future time become desirable, it will be alone at- 
tainable by enlarging the channel of that river at its 
source, the only outlet for the waters in the whole 
circuit of the surrounding shore : but, fortunately for 
the admirers of this attractive lake, nature has inter- 
posed an insurmountable impediment to its being en- 
tirely drained, if avaricious speculation should ever 
dream of the attempt ; for the fall from its level to 
the tide-water is considerably less than the actual 
depth of the lake. 

At a short distance from the mines in Ross island 
there is a quarry from which a considerable quantity 
of marble is annually raised. It is commonly used 
for the manufacture of hearths and chimney-pieces 
throughout the adjacent district; but its principal 
consumption seems to be for tomb-stones ; to pur- 
chase which, numerous people, apparently but ill 
able to afford the expense, come across the moun- 



llllll{||||||||{|||li>!lllllllllll>lil:ll<:'n''il'!tinHiilll!illlll!iillliilt!liii!llillllillilli! 




105 

tains, from places, in some instances, distant upwards 
of twenty miles. The marble is generally of a pale 
ash colour, streaked with white and red veins ; some 
of it is of a pale red colour, and some pale isabella 
yellow : the varieties are very numerous. Its ar- 
rangement in the earth is stratified, and it is easily 
raised in very large pieces. 

The island of Ross, being situated nearly midway 
between the extremities of the lake, separates it into 
two divisions, which the boatmen, who appear to be 
acquainted with the cardinal points alone, distinguish, 
though not with sufficient accuracy, by the terms of 
eastern and western : this mode of designating loca- 
hty is common to all the people of Kerry, who ex- 
tend the exercise of it to the ordinary instructions 
which are given to the inquiring traveller on the pub- 
lic road. 

In entering upon a description of the lower lake, 
I shall begin with that division which lies between 
Ross island and the river Laune, and shall suppose 
that we are proceeding from the castle through the 
bay of Ross towards Innisfallen island. 

As the water is much deeper under Ross island 
than it is at the opposite side of the bay, the boats are 
usually kept close under the rocky shore. Several 
little wooded promontories here overhang the lake, 
on approaching which the attention is continually 
kept alive, by the hope of discovering some new 



106 

landscape behind them ; but no part of the distant 
scene is revealed till you reach the mouth of the bay, 
when, on doubling a rocky point, an extensive pros- 
pect of the mountains, with a wide expanse of the 
lake, suddenly burst upon the eye. I have attempt- 
ed to give a representation of this prospect. The 
woods on the right are those of Innisfallen island ; 
the foreground, a part of the shore of Ross ; Mouse 
island is seen in the middle channel, and in the dis- 
tance Tomies mountain. 

Several small islands appear at the mouth of Ross 
bay, the most remarkable of which is a large rock of 
limestone, about twenty feet in height ; on one side 
nearly perpendicular, and not unlike a wall. It is 
called O'Donaghoe's prison ; and, according to the 
legendary tales of the country, was employed by the 
good old prince of that name, in former times, as a 
place of confinement for his disobedient son and re- 
bellious associates : 

There, during life, the factious were immured. 
And peace and order without blood secured. 

In what age the great O'Donaghoe flourished, the 
tradition of whose virtues is fondly transmitted from 
generation to generation, is not easily determinable ; 
but that a distinguished prince of that name did once 
actually reign over this favoured region, is a point so 
established by the testimony of concurrent tradition. 



107 

as scarcely to require confirmation from the page of 
history. 

" His countrymen," says an anonymous writer, 
" represent him Hke the demigods of old — a contem- 
ner of danger ; a sworn foe to oppression ; a passion- 
ate admirer of whatever is great and honourable. 
The severity of his warlike virtues was tempered by 
a generous hospitahty, which embraced a friend in 
every stranger. The rigour of the legislator was 
blended and lost in the endearing condescension of 
the friend : the prince was the father of his country ; 
his court was the seat of joy and festivity: worth 
took its place at the board by inherent birthright ; 
grey hairs received their reverence, and distressed 
innocence had a peculiar plea of admission, for hu- 
manity was paramount, and suspicious policy abso- 
lutely unknown. He was wise too ; and the gods 
sped his counsels, for his subjects were happy. Fruit- 
ful seasons crowned the year with plenty, and un- 
disturbed tranquillity led the way to enjoyment." 

Such was the auspicious reign of this excellent 
prince : nay, more ; still solicitous about the prospe- 
rity of his ancient dominions, it is believed he quits 
at times the regions of immortal bliss, and appears 
in person among the descendants of his people. I 
have met men who related the tale with all the en- 
thusiasm of religious faith, and who asserted most so- 
lemnly they had themselves beheld the apparition : 



108 

happily, however, for the cause of common sense, the 
numbers who give credit to it daily decrease. In a 
poem entitled Killarney, the legend is fully related ; 
the following lines from it are descriptive of his first 
appearance :— 

Once, on a day distinguish'd from the rest, 
Surrounded by his subjects at the feast, 
Cheerful he sat, and in prophetic rhymes 
Darkling rehears'd the fate of future times :— 
Wliile from his tongue divine prediction flow'd^ 
And firm belief in every bosom glow'd. 
Sudden he rose, and, to the gazing throng. 
As some light vision seem'd to skim along :— 
The neighbouring lake wide op'd its willing wave, 
And quick received him in a crystal grave. 
*********** 

Some years were past, when, as the usual day 
Of solemn mourning brought them forth to pay 
The tribute of their tears ; — with streaming eyes 
They call'd on Donaghoe to hear their cries ; 
Implored the dire abyss, in piteous strain. 
To give them back their Donaghoe again. 
Soft, at a solemn interval, the sound 
Of airs celestial fiird the scene around : 
The hills, the dales, the shores began to smile, 
And tenfold brighter shone the royal isle : 
The sylvan songsters warbled from each spray, 
The waters blush'd as at the rising day : 
Thunder at length the awful signal gave ; 
A form all glorious started from the wave : — 
'Twas Donaghoe. 

The appearance of O'Donaghoe is considered a 
most propitious omen to the person who is fortunate 
enough to behold him j and the eye of the wandei'* 



109 

ing peasant eagerly searches for him along the wind- 
ings of the lake. The prince is always described as 
being mounted on a milk-white steed. May it not 
then be supposed that the white foam of a distant 
wave, suddenly curled up by a gust of wind from the 
mountains, has often been converted by the enthusi- 
astic imagination of the simple and superstitious na- 
tive, into the semblance of a horse and his rider, 
whose preternatural appearance his interest and cre- 
dulity are ahke perpetually anticipating ?* 

The name of O'Donaghoe is common in the town 
of Killarney and throughout the neighbouring dis- 
trict ; and a person who is deemed to be the lineal 
descendant of the ancient chieftain of the sept or 
clan, is sedulously distinguished from the rest ; not, 
however, by the means of a pompous title, but, on 
the contrary, by being called simply O'Donaghoe ; 
to annex even the common title of Mr to his name 
would be considered a gross derogation from his 
dignity. 

At a short distance from O'Donaghoe's prison lies 
the beautiful island of Innisfallen, 



* Ariosto presents us with a similar image in his description of a 
tempest : 

Sorgono altera e minacciose I'onde, 
Mugghiando sopra 'I mar va '1 gregge bianco. 

OrL Fu. xli. 9. 



110 

. .... so sweet and pleasant to the eye, 
That it would tempt a man to touchen there. 

From the water it appears to be entirely covered with 
an impervious wood. 

In every leaf of various green array'd : 

but after passing under the lofty shade, which forms 
a skreen along the shores, the interior part is found 
spread out into natural lawns, diversified with clumps 
of trees and masses of grey rock. From these de- 
lightful openings the blue tops of the mountains on 
the south side of the lake are beheld towering above 
the surrounding woods 5 whilst, between the boles of 
the trees, the water appears sparkling below, and oc- 
casionally is seen a reach of the distant shore. In the 
disposition of these grounds, the hand of art can only 
be traced in forming a shrubbery among the rocks, 
and surrounding the isle with a gravel walk under the 
tall trees growing near the water. The walk cannot 
be deemed an embellishment, but it adds materially 
to the accommodation and pleasure of occasional vi- 
sitors, who, during wet weather, might otherwise be 
deterred from surveying the internal beauties of this 
interesting spot. A curious old yew-tree springing 
from the crevice of a rock, and which at once forms 
a commodious seat and an agreeable shade,* is point- 

* a shady bank 

Thick overhead with verdant roof embower'd. 

Paradise Lost, b. ix. 1.1 037, et siibseq. 



Ill 

cd out in the shrubbery as an object of attention. It 
is called the fiuitful yew ; and some strange particu- 
lars of its virtues are related by the guides, with a 
faith nothing doubting. Those who visit the delight- 
ful regions of Killarney may be gratified, if they 
please, with the recital of this legendary tale. I can 
only say, that the story is connected with that of a 
fond pair, who, on a sweet evening, at a season of 
the year 

When nature all wears to the lover's eye 
A look of love,— 

having chanced to stray along the sequestered walks 
of this terrestrial paradise, suddenly found their hearts 
enchained by the captivating song of a little bird, 
which warbled through the groves, not less melodi- 
ously than that in the enchanted garden of Armida, 

Cogliam d'amor la rosa, or amiamo quando 
Esser si puote riamato amando. 

Trees of all sorts, but more particularly the ash and 
the holly,* attain a much larger size on this island 
than on any part of the neighbouring shores ; a con- 
clusive proof of the great fertility of the soil : and the 
natural herbage possesses such an extraordinary power 
for fattening cattle, that its excellence is proverbial 

* I measured one holly whose bole was ten feet in circumference, 
and the tree was sound and vigorous, 



112 



throughout the country. One would think that the 
recollection of this place was fresh in the memory of 
Spenser when he drew the description of the island 
in the idle lake.* 

It was a chosen plott of fertile land 
Emongst wide waves sett, like a little nest ; 
As if it had by Nature's cunning hand 
Bene choycely picked out from all the rest, 
And laid forth for ensample of the best. 

Towards Ross, the shores of Innisfallen are low 
and shelving, and the water very shallow, as the nu- 
merous rounded black stones which appear above the 
surface, at a considerable distance from the land, in- 
dicate : the opposite side of the island, totally difte- 
rent in its character, presents a barrier of bold rocks 
rising perpendicularly from the water to the height of 
twenty feet. In tempestuous weather, immense bil- 
lows are rolled from the great body of the lake against 
these rocks, and they break with a terrific noise, 
which resounds through the woods of the island. 
From the shallowness of the shores on one side of the 



* That Spenser was indebted for much of his imagery to the rich 
and romantic scenes of the south of Ireland, is generally admitted. 
The distance of Kilcolman castle, where he resided whilst engaged 
in the composition of his Faerie Queen, from the lake of Killarney, 
is not more than one day's easy journey; it may be presumed, 
therefore, that such an attractive and beautiful spot could not have 
escaped the minute attention of the poet. 



113 

island, and the steepness of rocks on the other, it 
would be difficult to land, were it not for two little 
quays which have been built,_in sheltered situations, 
at the east corner of the island ; but with these ac- 
commodations all difficulty has been removed. 

Innisfallen is indented with several little coves and 
inlets, resembling those on Ross island, but superior 
in picturesque beauty, from being skirted with lofty 
trees. More delightful studies for the pencil are 
scarcely to be found, whether they be view^ed under 
the influence of the storm, or during the stillness of 
a summer's evening, when the lake presents an un- 
ruffled surface, and the images of the various objects 
on the shore appear 

Smooth gloss'd and soften'd In the mirror's breast. 

The woods of the island, presenting a beautiful ap- 
pearance from the water on every side, are seen to 
most advantage after the first frosts in the autumnal 
season, when the ash trees growing neai' the shore, 
tinged with yellow, display the elegance of their light 
pensile foliage, relieved by the rich green of the oaks. 
Innisfallen contains upwards of twelve Irish acres, 
or, according to some computations, eighteen. The 
Irish plantation acre differs from the English statute 
acre in the proportion of the square of fourteen to the 
square of eleven ; that is, nearly as five to three. 

As no spot within the confines of Killarney pos- 

II 



114 

senses more attractions, so none is so much resorted 
to as Innisfallen ; and that not only by passing stran- 
gers, but by the resident gentry of the countiy, who, 
during summer, frequently give fetes champetres on 
this island to large parties of their neighbouring 
friends. The amusements, on these occasions, con- 
sist of such as accord with the nature of the place. 
Some, with a chosen company, put off' from the island 
and row or sail along the shores, to display their own 
dexterity, or the superior excellence of their boats, 
which, decked with their gayest colours, diffuse an 
air of uncommon cheerfulness over the scene. Some 
wander through the woods ; whilst others, reclined 
on the rocky beach, find pleasure in contemplating 
the magnificence of the surrounding landscape ; or 
perhaps continue listening to the sound of music, 
" by distance made more sweet/' Dancing on the 
green sod, in the mean time, engages the more gay ; 
and often, the length of a summer's day being insuf- 
ficient to complete the enjoyment, the festive enter- 
tainment is protracted through the cool and stilly 
hours of the night, 

• . . , while over head the moon 
Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth 
Wheels her pale course. 

If a visit to Innisfallen happen to be made for the 
first time under favourable circumstances, when the 
shores, instead of being crowded by different parties. 



115 

are seen in all their native simplicity, it seldom fails 
to inspire, at least for the moment, very enthusiastic 
feelings on the subject of rural retirement. There 
is something, indeed, in the idea of a beautiful island 
secluded from the noisy intercourse of the world, on 
which the mind dwells with peculiar pleasure ; and 
we accordingly find that such places have furnished 
themes through all ages for the most voluptuous de- 
scriptions of poetry. The peaceful and retired situ- 
ation of Innisfallen did not escape the notice of the 
monks ; and it early became the seat of a distin- 
guished abbey, whose remains are still visible near 
the landing-place. It was founded and endowed to- 
wards the close of the sixth century by Finan,* son 
of one of the kings of Munster ; and, in after times, 
became appropriated to the use of the regular canons 
of St Augustin. This noble person was eminent, we 
are told, for his great learning and extraordinary 
piety, and was one of the very many who were esteem- 
ed deserving of canonization about the same period. 
Indeed, so great was the number of these pious con- 
temporaries, whose memory was thus honoured in 
Ireland, that the country soon came to be distin- 
guished by the appellation of the Island of Saints. 

That Ireland^ during the ages which succeeded the 
introduction of Christianity, was celebrated amidst 

'^ Act. SS. Gokan. Fegtiv.— 6 Martie, 



116 

the surrounding nations as the seat of learning and 
tranquilHty, is generally admitted. By the zeal of the 
Irish missionaries, it is said, many of the Northum* 
brians, east Angles, and northern Picts,* were con- 
verted ; and some of those who were most conspicu- 
ous for their abilities^ at the express invitation of the 
potentates of the country, went into Burgundy and 
Germany, to preside over the convents which had 
been lately founded there.t The venerable Bede, in 
his Church History, gives a most pleasing account of 
the state of Ireland during the seventh century.;}: 

* Beda, Hist. Eccles. 1. iii. cap. 4. 

f Camden Brit. Ireland, vol. II. p. 1317 — Gibson's edit. 

\ Erant ibidem, ed tenipore, multi nobilium siraul et medioCriura, 
do gente Anglorum, qui tempore Finani et Colmani episcoporum> 
relicta insula patria, vel divinae lectionis, vel continentioris vitae gra- 
tia, illo secesserant. Et quidam, quidem, mox se monasticae con- 
versationi fideliter mancipaverunt, alii naagis circumeundo per cellas 
magistrorum,lectioni operam dare gaudebant; quos omnes Scotti^f 
libentissime susclpientes, victum eis quotidianum sine pretio, libros 
quoque ad legendum, et magisterium gratuitum prasbere curabant. 
— Hht. Eccles. 1. iii. cap. 27» 

I Bede here calls the inhabitants of Ireland Scots ; and, in the first chapter 
of his first book, he sajs that Ireland is the propet country of the Scots, fi<om 
v?hrch a colony had migrated into Britain, and thus added a third nation to the 
Britons and Pic<s. Be this as it may, the appellation of Scots, applied indis- 
criminately to the inhabitants of Ireland, and to those of Scotland, by some of 
the Anglo-Saxons, has given rise to disputatious, between modern writers on 
Scottish and Irish antiquities, which cannot be read without a smile; as, for 
instance, on the subject of tlie birth-place of Johannes ScotusErigena, the most 
learned man of the ninth century. The Irish writers maintain that his sur- 
name of Erigena clearly indicates the place of his nativity ; Ere or Erin being 
the proper name of Ireland. The Scotch, on the contrary, will not give him 
up, but insist that Erigena signifies that he was worn in the town of Ayr in Scot- 
land. 

See M'Kenzie's Scotch Writers-— Henri's Hist, of Britain, book ii.— Sir 
James Ware's Irish Writers— Du Pin, &c. 



117 

<« At that period/' says he, " when Finan and Col- 
man were bishops, there wxre many of the English 
nobiHty, as well as persons of inferior rank, who, lea- 
ving their native island, retired thither (into Ireland) 
for the sake of religious instruction, or of leading a 
more continent life. Of these, some devoted them- 
selves entirely to the conversation of the monks ; 
whilst others, visiting the cells of their masters, took 
more delight in reading. The Irish received them all 
most willingly ; maintained them free of expense ; 
provided them with books to read, and directed their 
studies without any fee or reward whatsoever.'* 

What a delightful and liberal system ! How diffe- 
rent from that pursued by many mercenary peda- 
gogues of the present day, who, without inclination 
or abilities to discharge the important duties of edu^ 
cation, undertake that most sacred of all trusts, for 
the mere purposes of private emolument ; and thus 
at once defraud parents of their money, and children 
of their instruction ! 

The most noted schools in Ireland at this early pe- 
riod were those of Armagh, and of Clonard, in the 
county of Meath ; but it is probable that many of 
the smaller monasteries had also their scholars and 
inmates ; and even the retired abbey of Innisfallei;! 
might have been amongst the number. Fancy at 
least is wilHng to indulge in the idea, and fondly re- 
calls the time when this little island was the abode of 



118 

piety and learning. Here the venerable fathers are 
seen meditating in their cells ; here straying through 
the lofty groves in deep conversation with their pu- 
pils ; here, at the solemn silent close of day, seated 
on one of those rocks which ages have not altered, 
contemplating the varied beauties of nature ; and, 
from the splendour of the departing sun, drawing in- 
ferences of the glories of that celestial paradise to- 
wards which their enthusiastic hopes unceasingly 
aspired. 

Let us here 

Content and grateful wait th' appointed time, 
Aiid ripen for the skies ; the hour will come 
W^hen all these splendours, bursting on the sight, 
Shall stand unveil'd, and to the ravish'd sense 
Unlock the glories of the world unknown. 

Such liberal conduct, on the part of the Irish 
monks, argued no ordinary degree of enthusiasm in 
the cause of learning ; but of the nature and extent 
of that learning no traces are left. In the beginning 
of the ninth century, Turgese the Dane, and his san- 
guinary followers, desolated the kingdom for the 
space of thirty years, massacring all the clergy whom 
they could find, and destroying their books, their 
monasteries, their churches, and every monument 
that could perpetuate to posterity the blessings of 
their knowledge, or the records of their virtues : by 
which calamity " this most flourishing island," to use 



119 

the expression of Archbishop Usher,* " was once 
more reduced to a state of barbarism." The destruc- 
tion of the few remaining specimens of ancient lite- 
rature seems to have been intended in the reign of 
Ehzabeth, when Sir George Carew, lord president of 
Munster, afterwards Earl of Totness, and the other 
English commanders in the island, were charged to 
collect all the manuscripts they could find, in order 
to remove every vestige of antiquity and letters in 
the kingdom. t The main object of this odious and 
unjust policy was to obliterate the remembrance of 
the origin and descent of the chiefs of particular 
tribes, which, being carefully preserved in their re- 
cords and annals, acted as a bond of union between 
them and their dependents. 

Lord Lyttelton observes, that " the loss of these 
ancient manuscripts may well be deemed a misfor- 
tune, not only to the Irish, but to the whole learned 
world.t It must be remembered, however, that man- 
kind is prone to over-rate the value of that which has 
been irrecoverably lost.§ So far as these manuscripts 
might have contributed to elucidate the remote and 
doubtful period of Irish history, they would unques- 



* Eccles. Brit. Antiq. — Usher, 
f Genealog. Notes on the Family of O'SuIlivan. 
f Hist. Henry II. book iv. 
§ Virtutem incolumem odimus, 
Sublatam ex oculis quserimus invidi. 



120 

tionably have been curious and interesting ; but it h 
highly probable that they were not of that vast im- 
portance which some zealous writers on the subject 
of Irish antiquities have fondly imagined. . If they 
had been so valuable, if they had contained any in- 
formation of real use to the world, surely some traces 
of them would have been preserved. Several of the 
Irish, most eminent for their learning, had been in- 
vited, it appears, to the continent ; and others, who 
in after times found means to escape thither from the 
fury of the Danes, were received with open arms by 
the princes of the country where they took refuge. 
All these men, it may be presumed, would not have 
departed without any memorial of the history or ge- 
nius of their countrymen. The mere vanity of dis- 
playing specimens of the literary productions of their 
native land would have prompted them to carry 
away copies of those performances which were most 
esteemed ; and, if they have perished in the progress 
of years, it must, in a great measure, be attributed to 
their insignificance. To the manuscript copies of the 
different performances of the venerable Bede which 
were transferred to the continent, and collected there 
in later times, we are indebted for the only complete 
edition of his works.* 

The most ancient Irish manuscript, of which par- 

• Henry's Hist, of Britain, book ii. chap. 4. 



121 

ticular mention has been made, was the Psaltrick* of 
Cashel, a metrical chronicle, composed by Cormac, 
son of Culinan, king and bishop of Munster, early in 
the tenth century. Sir James Ware asserts that it 
was extant in his time, and held in great estimation ; 
and he adds, that he had himself a selection which was 
extracted from it three hundred years before : but as 
he does not mention where the original was to be 
seen, strong doubts are entertained of the accuracy 
of his information. It has been often searched for 
since his time, but in vain. 

Of the manuscripts of a later date which are still 
preserved, one of the oldest and most remarkable ap- 
pears to be a book of Annals written by a monk of the 
abbey of Innisfallen, about the year 1216. According 
to Sir James Ware,t this writer gives a short account 
of universal history till the year 430, or thereabouts ; 
but, after this period, he treats very diligently of the 
affairs of Ireland to his own times. In the copy he 
possessed, the Annals, he informs us, were continued 
by another hand to the year 1320. Bishop Nichol- 
son, in his Irish Historical Library, gives nearly the 
same account, and adds, that there was a copy of this 
manuscript in the library of the Duke of Chandos. 



* This book has been commonly called the Psalter of Cashel, but 
very erroneously, as General Vallancey has informed me : the word 
Psaltrick signifies, in Irish, a chronicle. 

t Antiq. of Ireland. Folio, Lond. 1704. 



122 

[Bibl. Chand. Membr. Hist. No. 26.] A third, but 
imperfect one, is to be found in the Hbrary of Tri- 
nity College, Dublin. Sir James Ware employed 
persons to translate selected parts of these Annals ; 
and many references to their authority are to be 
found in his works on the antiquities of Ireland : the 
editor of the Monasticon Hibernicum has also given 
extracts from them ; but, as they only vary in some 
trifling particulars from those contained in the works 
of Sir James, it may be presumed that they were de- 
rived from the same source. 

The two following passages are the most remark- 
able of those which appear in the Monasticon : — 
" Anno 1 1 80. — This abbey of Innisfallen being ever 
esteemed a paradise and a secure sanctuary, the trea- 
sure and the most valuable effects of the whole coun- 
try wxre deposited in the hands of the clergy ; not- 
withstanding which, we find the abbey was plundered 
in this year by Maolduin, son of Daniel O'Donaghoe. 
Many of the clergy were slain, and even in their ce- 
metery, by the Macarthys. But God soon punished 
this act of impiety and sacrilege, by bringing many 
of its authors to an untimely end." — " 1197, Dec. 
19th, died Gilla Patrick O'Huihair, in the seventy- 
ninth year of his age. He was archdeacon of Faith- 
lin, superior of this convent, and the founder of many 
religious houses, to all of which he presented books, 
vestments, and all other necessary furniture. He 



123 

was a celebrated poet, and was in the highest esti- 
mation for his chaste life, piety, wisdom, and univer- 
sal charity.'* 

It has often been lamented that no complete trans- 
lation should have been made of the Annals of In- 
nisfallen, and of other ancient Irish manuscripts which 
are preserved in the public libraries ; but the neglect 
with which they have been treated is in a great mea- 
sure to be attributed to the frivolity of the matter 
contained in those writings which have been already 
examined. The Royal Irish Academy, not long since, 
employed persons to make an English version of two 
ancient histories, which had been presented to their 
library, called The Book of Ballymote and The An- 
nals of the Four Masters. The legendary fictions, 
however, which they contained, predominated so 
much over those parts which had any pretensions to 
authenticity, that, after some progress in the work, 
the translations were stopped^ as undeserving of fur- 
ther expense. 

I have looked over these translations, and can bear 
testimony to the deplorable picture which they pre- 
sent of ignorance, credulity, and superstition. 

The Book of Ballymote commences with an account 
of the creation, and represents the Deity at a loss to 
find a. name for the newly-created man. Four angels 
are dispatched to the four quarters of the universe, 
each of whom returns with the name of a particular 



124 

star. The initial letters of the names of the four stars 
are put together, and the man is called A-D-A-M. 

The Annals of the Four Masters^ so called from ha- 
ving been compiled by four monks of Donegal, about 
the year 1 QS6^ from the most esteemed and ancient 
histories of Ireland that were then extant, begin, like 
the Book of Ballymote, with an account of the first 
inhabitants of the globe. They narrate, with much 
precision, the story of a small tribe, descended from 
one of the sons of Noah, which departs from Scy thia, 
in quest of the land furthest to the west, which is 
supposed to have been promised to their tribe in a 
prophecy. After passing through Egypt, the adven- 
turers embark for Crete ; thence they proceed along 
the shores of Africa to Spain, in which last country 
they settle, under a belief that there was no land 
more westward. Here they build a very lofty towe? 
on the sea-shore, with a city called Brigantium. Af- 
ter remaining for three generations, however, in 
Spain, the chief of the tribe, on a remarkably clear 
tranquil evening, descries from the summit of the 
tower the coast of Ireland, still further to the west. 
The error being thus discovered, it is immediately 
determined to leave Spain : a fleet is prepared ; the 
whole tribe embarked 5 and having arrived safely in 
Ireland, that country, after minute investigation, con- 
firmed by numberless portentous signs, is ascertained 
to be really the promised land. 



1^5 

In these books a melancholy account is given of 
the incessant broils and bloody battles between the 
different septs, which continued to desolate the king- 
dom even long after the invasion of the English ; and 
on this part of the history probably some reliance 
may be placed. 

Contemptible as these specimens of the monkish 
waitings appear, it is nevertheless unfair to condemn 
all those manuscripts to oblivion which have hitherto 
remained unexamined. " The monks," as an agree- 
able writer has observed, " w^ere the only historians 
of their day ; and though their accounts be interwo- 
ven with many a legendary tale, and darkened by 
much superstition, still they are better than no his- 
tories at all, and we cannot but think ourselves 
obliged to them for transmitting to us in any dress 
the annals of their country." 

The late Henry Flood, long distinguished as one 
of the brightest ornaments of the Irish senate, was so 
fully persuaded of the importance of having all the 
Irish manuscripts which could be procured, examined 
by persons thoroughly versed in the Irish language, 
that he bequeathed a considerable estate to the uni- 
versity of Dublin for that purpose, and for establish- 
ing a professorship of the Irish language :* and those 



* The title to this estate has been contested at law, and the deci- 
sions of the court, hitherto, have been unfavourable to the university* 



126 

who will be at the pains of perusing a small volume^ 
written by Sir Laurence Parsons, (now Lord Ross) in 
justification of the bequest, and in vindication of the 
ancient history of Ireland, will, perhaps, feel inchned 
to pay more attention to this subject than it has al- 
ready received from persons having leisure and op- 
portunity to devote themselves to such pursuits. 

The remains of the abbey of Innisfallen are situ- 
ated at the north-eastern extremity of the island, 
within a grove of lofty ash trees ; they are in a very 
perishable state, and fast approaching to their end : 

Kuin hangs hovering o'er the fatal place, 
And dumb Oblivion comes with mended pace. 

The abbey church consisted of a single aisle, se- 
venty feet long, and twenty wide ; and from the nar- 
rowness of the few windows which can be now tra- 
ced, it must, Hke other ancient churches of L'eland, 
have been extremely dark. At the south-east corner, 
a very large fragment of the wall, in which there are 
some hewn stones which appear to have once formed 
part of an arch, stands detached from the rest of the 
building ; a circumstance which leads to the suppo- 
sition of its having suffered some more sudden and 
more violent injury than the mere attacks of time alone 
could have inflicted : probably the soldiers of the 
parliamentary army, at the time the castle of Ross 
was besieged, were instrumental to its destruction. 



127 

The architecture of the cloister, and of what seem to 
have been the dwelling apartments of the abbey, is 
most rude : no remains of sculptured ornaments ; no 
lofty arches ; no spacious windows are here observ- 
able. The cloister was only thirty-eight feet square ; 
but though its walls are very much dilapidated, the 
limits of its covered walk, and the apertures opening 
into the interior area, may be distinctly traced. 

At a short distance from the principal ruins, there 
are three other buildings, two of which, that are in a 
decayed state, evidently belonged to the abbey ; but 
whether the third, w^hich lies to the west of the church, 
and which is now inhabited by the people who take 
care of the island, ever formed a part of it, seems 
doubtful. The guides point out, just behind it, the 
garden of the abbey, which still contain some plum- 
trees of great age, and some large thorns coeval with 
them, which appear to have once formed the sur- 
rounding hedge. 

Of all the remains of antiquity at this place, the 
most interesting, and the only one which has any 
claim to picturesque beauty, is a small chapel or ora- 
tory, covered with ivy, which stands on a mass of 
rocks close to the water. One might be tempted to 
believe that Spenser had this place also in his recol- 
lection when he wrote the following lines : 

And nigh thereto a little chappel stoode. 
Which, being all with yvy overspred, 



128 

I>eckt all the roofe, and, shadowing the roodd, 
Seem*d like a grove fair braunched over hed. 

From the architecture of the door-case,* which has 
a Saxon arch decorated with chevron ornaments, I 
should suppose that this building was of a date sub- 
sequent to that of the church. One half of this door- 
case alone remains perfect ; the other part has been 
plastered and bedaubed with red clay, with an endea- 
vour to make it corresponds On removing a broad 
stone near the entrance of the door, some time ago^ 
a great quantity of human bones v/as found heaped 
together* Perhaps these were the bones of the clergy 
and those who were slain in the cemetery, as the An- 
nals mention ; and over whom, to expiate the sacri- 
lege, the descendants of the murderers had erected 
a chapel for the orisons that, according to the super- 
stitious custom of the times, would daily be poured 
forth for the rest of their souls* 

This little building has, within a few years, been 
fitted up as a place of entertainment, under the pom- 
pous appellation of the banqueting-house. The walls 
at the inside have been smoothly plastered and whi- 
tened ; two modern bow-windows have been opened 
to the north and south, and the floor has been board- 
ed. One cannot but deplore the frivolity of that taste 
which has thus injudiciously metamorphosed it. The 



* See the vignette in the title-page. 
1 



129 

changes which are effected by time, command our 
reverence, and dispose the soul to contemplation : 
but these discordant alterations of the works of an- 
cient days untune the mind, and interrupt that course 
of thought which the remains of antiquity are calcu- 
lated to inspire. Skilful management might have ren- 
dered it equally commodious, and, at the same time, 
have preserved its proper character. Not only has 
this little building been injured by the alterations al- 
ready alluded to, but, as if purposely to diminish its 
picturesque beauty, it has been surrounded with white 
painted rails, trim gravel walks, and a thick thorn 
hedge, which effectually excludes, on one side, the 
view of the lake. 

Though the abbey of Innisfallen was founded as 
early as the sixth century, it does not follow, nor is 
it indeed likely, that the walls, of which remains are 
now visible, were erected at that remote period ; but 
on this subject we can only indulge conjecture. The 
history of monastic edifices in Ireland is involved in 
impenetrable obscurity : little even of their decline 
is known, but what can be collected from the statute- 
books. 

On an inquiry being made into the state of the re- 
ligious houses of Ireland, under a commission ap- 
pointed by King Henry the Eighth, it was found that 
they all required a total reformation; and fourteen 
abbots and ten priors, following the steps of their 



130 

brethren in England, surrendered their rights and 
possessions into the hands of the king. The religi- 
ous houses over which they presided are particularly 
mentioned in an act of the Irish parliament passed in 
the year 1537.* Five years afterwards another act 
was passed, to enable his majesty to take possession 
of the property of all such religious houses as had 
theretofore voluntarily surrendered, or that should 
afterwards surrender, their rights, or be dissolved ; 
and the superiors of all religious houses, then exist- 
ing, were disqualified from alienating any part of 
their property, except to his majesty. The act con- 
chides with subjecting all the houses that had not 
been dissolved to the visitation of the ordinary of the 
diocese, or of such persons as the king should think 
proper to appoint. 

It may be presumed, however, that the superiors 
of the monastic institutions of Kerry were not much 
influenced by these regulations, as that county was 
then a palatinate endowed with great privileges, whose 
earls had repeatedly resisted the authority both of the 
laws and of the king. Ware informs us, that during 
the beginning of the reign of Henry the Eighth ,t 
in consequence of the extraordinary powers assumed 
by the Earls of Desmond, and the opinion that gene- 



* 27 Hen. VIII. cap. xvi— 33 Hen. VIII. cap. v. 
f Annals of Ireland. 



131 

rally prevailed throughout the kingdom, of the ex- 
emption of that county from the jurisdiction of the 
Jaws, Kerry had become the resort of outlaws, and of 
all persons in fear of legal punishment. In fact, we 
find that it was not until ten years after the attainder 
and death of the last Earl of Desmond,* in the reign 



* The history of the last Earl of Desmond contains many inte- 
resting particulars. After various changes of fortune, having fallen 
into the power of the crown, he had been delivered as a state pri- 
soner to the custody of the mayor of Dublin, who had orders to 
provide him with good accommodation, and to indulge him in every 
manner that was consistent with his safety. The mayor allowed 
him to go abroad on his parole, excepting at the hours of noon and 
night, when he was obliged to make his appearance. Desmond, for 
a time, kept his parole very punctually ; but having one day ob- 
tained permission to leave the city, to take the diversion of hunting, 
he rode off from his attendants at full speed, and found means not 
long afterwards to reach his own territory. A proclamation was im- 
mediately issued, offering a reward of one thousand piounds in mo- 
ney, and a pension of forty pounds a-year, to the person who should 
take him alive ; and half that reward to him who should bring his 
head. The earl, however, found a strong body of his adherents, 
who pledged themselves in the most solemn manner to defend him 
and his rights, so that the officers of the queen found it expedient 
to open negociations with persons on his behalf. Concessions were 
made on both sides, and he received forgiveness. Some time after- 
wards he was again accused of treason ; but once more negoci- 
ating, and making solemn protestations of fidelity for the future, he 
was again pardoned and received into favour. It was discovered, 
however, that, after all his promises, he maintained a secret corre- 
spondence with those inveterate foes of Elizabeth, the Spaniards ; in 
consequence of which a strong force was at last sent to compel him 
to obedience. I'his force succeeded in defeating and dispersing the 
main body of his adherents, and finally reduced Desmond himself 
to the greatest extremity, so that many of his best friends began t^ 



132 



of Queen Elizabeth, the great epoch of the settle- 
ment of this county, and of the division of the lands, 
that the monks were dispossessed of the abbey of In- 
nisfallen,* and a grant of it made to Robert Collam. 



forsake him. In this situation he was obliged to conceal himself; 
and, partly to supply his immediate wants, partly from motives of 
revenge, wandered about his own dominions, plundering such of his 
people as had deserted him. One day he sent some of his servants 
to take prey, near Tralee, a few miles distant from Killarney ; in 
performing which service they seized upon some cows belonging ta 
a poor woman. In the bitterness of her grief she went to the go- 
vernor of Castlemain, who immediately ordered a party of soldiers 
to accompany her in search of the plunderers. They followed the 
tracks of the cattle until the close of day, when, weary with the pur-- 
suit, they proposed to stop for the night in a wood. They had not 
remained long in this position when one of the party espied a light, 
at a considerable distance, through the trees, and eagerly hastening 
towards it, they discovered that it proceeded from a hovel where an 
old man was seated over a fire, with some people around him. A 
soldier, of the name of Kelly, instantly rushed in, and smote the old 
man with a sword upon the head and upon the arm. Terrified at 
the suddenness of the assault, he cried out, in a plaintive voice. Oh 
save me, Jbr I am the Earl of Desmond! But perceiving that his 
wounds bled very profusely, and that he could not survive, the sol- 
diers bade him prepare for death, and soon after cut off his head, 
which was sent to England, and placed on a pole on London Bridge. 
*' Such an end," says Camden, " had this once powerful man in 
Ireland, who derived his pedigree from Maurice Fitzgerald of Wind- 
sor, an Englishman of great renown, amongst the first conquerors 
of Ireland, in the year 1170. He had very fair lands and posses*- 
sions ; yea, whole provinces, with Kerry, a county palatine ; and, 
of his own kindred, he had above five hundred gentlemen at his 
own disposal." — Vide Camden's History of the Reign of Queen Eli- 
zabeth, book iii. — Ware's Annals, in the Reigns of Henry tli^ 
Eighth, Mary, and Elizabeth, — Peerage, under Earls ofKildarc* 
* Monasticon Hib. Archdall. — Aud. Gen. 



133 

Its possessions were estimated at three plough lands, 
containing one hundred and twenty acres of arable 
land, with the appurtenances. But this abbey, as well 
as that of Irrelagh, granted at the same time to Ro- 
bert Collam, certainly continued to be inhabited by 
the monks long afterwards. The latter abbey under- 
went a repair in the year 1626; and the plaster is 
still fresh on a part of the walls of the church of In- 
nisfallen. Probably the monks continued in it until 
they were driven out by the parliamentary army. 

Innisfallen island is the only one in this part of the 
lake which possesses a very attractive aspect. The 
rest are elevated but little above the surface of tlie 
water ; and the few trees which spring up between 
the rocks are stunted. Brown or Rabbit island is the 
next in size to that of Innisfallen : its solitary situa- 
tion, in the centre of the broadest part of the lower 
lake, alone renders it conspicuous ; but, far from 
being any embellishment, it may rather be deemed 
injurious to the scene : it interferes very much with 
the prospect from the western shores of Innisfallen, 
by concealing the woods about the river Laune, and 
the bold sweep of the mountainous shore ; it also di- 
minishes the breadth and importance of the water. 
The aspect, however, of this island, and its general 
effect in the landscape, will probably be very diffe- 
rent when the trees with which it has been lately 
planted are full grown. The time may come when it 



1S4< 

will be admired for the beauty and richness of its 
woods ; whilst Innisfallen, if we may prognosticate 
from the ravages committed at Ross, stripped of its 
noble trees, will be passed without notice. 

In crossing from Innisfallen towards the mountains, 
a large expanse of the lake unfolds itself to the eye, 
and the water displays more breadth than it does 
from any other position. The view of the various 
islands as you proceed towards Glena bay, is ex- 
tremely interesting ; their shores are very intricate, 
and through the passages between them delightful 
vistas open in succession. The line of the mountain- 
ous shore, on the contrary, from Glena point to the 
river Laune, is remarkable for its simplicity, and 
forms a striking contrast to that of the islands. Glena 
mountain, on the side which overhangs the bay of 
the same name, is thickly clothed with ancient woods, 
which are partially seen from Innisfallen : in other 
parts it has no trees, except a few sapling oaks which 
grow among the rocks. This naked part of the moun- 
tain, at a distance, exhibits an aspect of tame unifor- 
mity, or only appears diversified by occasional varia- 
tions in its hues. On approaching nearer to it, the 
lighter shades put on the green livery of cultivated 
fertility, while the more sombre ones develop exten- 
sive heaths, interspersed with rocks, and animated 
with innumerable herds. Here and there a solitary 
cottage rears its head, and enlivens the scene by the 



135 

introduction of those images that are the usual con- 
comitants of the social abodes of man. A singularly 
pleasing effect, sometimes, arises from the glimmer- 
ing lights which after nightfall emanate from the win- 
dows of these little habitations, and play on the sur- 
face of the lake, 

like starry light, 

Which, sparkling on the silent waves, doth seem more bright. 

When first I visited Killarney, innumerable lights 
gleamed every evening from the darkened brows of 
these mountains, and, being reflected and multiplied 
on the water, afforded a strange contrast to the so- 
lemnity of the surrounding scene, that reminded one 
of the fabulous description of fairy lands. They pro- 
ceeded from the fires of the people who at that pe- 
riod w^ere engaged in felling the trees, and in manu- 
facturing wooden wares : for in this country, instead 
of bringing the wood to their established. work-shops, 
various artificers, such as coopers,- turners, carpen- 
ters, hoop-makers, &c., repair to the forest, in the 
summer season, and there build themselves huts, in 
which they reside as long as they find opportunity of 
providing themselves with materials for exercising 
their respective trades. 

In coasting down the lake, under the mountains, 
less gratification arises from the distant prospect than 
from an examination of the objects on the neighbour- 



136 

ing shore. Along the water's edge, the base of the 
mountain near Glena point is covered with huge 
masses of rocks, which have fallen from the lofty pin- 
nacles above ; others, which seem dependent on a 
very slight support, may be observed on the heights, 
apparently ready to yield to the first shock, and 
threatening destruction to those who sail beneath. 
Further down the lake, the shores are more uniform, 
and the rocks assume a less menacing aspect. After 
passing for about a mile along a naked coast, a thick 
wood is seen, which extends from the water, a consi- 
derable way up the adjacent heights ; and, on reaching 
its confines, a small pier, formed of rude stone, is per- 
ceived, beside a little stream, which, issuing through 
the trees, runs gurgling into the lake. It invites one to 
land : the sound of falling water soon strikes the ear ; 
and on following a narrow path, which winds among 
the rocks and underwood, it is found to lead to a 
cascade, named after O' Sullivan, the ancient lord of 
the country. The cascade consists of three distinct 
and successive falls, each receding a few feet behind 
the other ; but which, if view^ed from a rock in the 
centre of the stream, being all seen in the same line, 
appear like one : the most considerable of them is 
about fifteen feet in height. From its agitation 
amongst rocks during its course down the sides of 
the mountain, the water is converted to foam, whose 
brilliancy and whiteness are augmented by the con- 



137 

trast of the deep gloom of impending oaks on either 
side of the cascade. Long before it reaches the prin- 
cipal fall, the stream is perceived, at a distance, 
sparkling through the trees ; and, in some places, it 
seems to gush from the very branches. 

In a country less varied by the bold works of na- 
ture, this cascade would excite general admiration ; 
but its extent is disproportionate to the other parts 
of the scenery. On a mountain of such large dimen- 
sions as that of Tomies, expectation anticipates a 
wilder and more considerable fall of water, so that 
the first sight of it is often productive of disappoint- 
ment ; but, during the height of summer, it is scarce- 
ly possible to conceive a more delightful retreat than 
this spot affords from the scorching rays which dart 
upon the bare rocks of the mountain. 

Hie gelidi fontes— 
Hie nemus 

From the woods which border upon O'SuUivan's cas- 
cade, some idea may be formed of the injuries the 
scenery has sustained from the destruction of the vast 
forests which a few years ago clothed these moun* 
tains. Amidst the general ruin, it may, indeed, be 
considered as an act of more than ordinary clemency, 
that the cascade itself was not stripped of the trees 
which adorn it. At Benson's point, and on some 
other parts of the shore, in the autumn of the year 



138 

1 804, a few small groves still remained to embellish 
the landscape ; but preparations were then making 
to remove even these remnants of the mountain 
woods, and all of them, I fear, have already fallen. 

The lake under 0*Sullivan's cascade, and along 
the whole coast between Burnt-island and Benson's 
point, wears a solemn and gloomy aspect, occasioned 
by the deep shadows which are cast over it by the 
mountains, and more particularly so in calm weather, 
when partial lights are no longer reflected on its un- 
dulations. The water itself appears so very dark, that 
one would be apt to imagine it was discoloured ; ne- 
vertheless it is remarkably clear and transparent, so 
that bright objects may be distinguished at a consi- 
derable depth below the surface. The coast at the 
base of Tomies mountain is less steep and less rocky 
than it is under Glena ; and it gradually loses its rug- 
gedness as it approaches to the river Laune. Be- 
tween Benson's point and Pallice, the ancient family 
seat of Macarthy-more, it rises in an easy slope, af- 
fording, from nature, every facility for cultivation. 

As the line of this coast is neither remarkable for 
its intricacy or variety, curiosity is soon gratified in 
this part of the lake. The best view it affords is one 
which suddenly opens on passing Benson's point, dis- 
covering, in the distance, beyond the mountain im- 
mediately bordering on the lake, the blue craggy 
tops of Magilly cuddy's reeks. 



139 

The river Laune, which contributes so much to 
the beauty of the landscape, when seen from the hills, 
excites little interest, on a nearer approach, when be- 
held from the level of the lake. The entrance of the 
river is spacious, and has the appearance of a bay ; 
but it is difficult of access, owing to the numerous 
rocks and sand-bars. Some long poles fixed to the 
large rocks serve to point out the passage ; and it is 
soon known when a boat has got into the proper chan- 
nel, for the rapidity of the stream hurries it down with 
a force not easily counteracted. The waters of the 
river Laune are peculiarly clear, and great numbers 
of fish may generally be seen in it, amongst which 
trout are most common : It is esteemed, indeed, one 
of the best places for angling in Killarney. At a 
short distance from the entrance, the banks of the ri- 
ver become very bold on each side ; and they pre- 
serve the same character as far as Grinagh, the seat 
of Major Bland : below this place they lose their ex- 
treme steepness, and then, gradually sinking, end at 
length in a broad open strand, over which the stream 
ripples, being very much dilated. The seasons occa- 
sion a very extraordinary difference in the appear- 
ance of this river ; for over these shallow places, which 
in summer one might almost step across, vessels of 
forty tons burthen, built on the banks of the lake for 
the navigation of the sea, are easily transported, after 
the lake has been swollen by rains. Every impedi- 



140 

ment to their descent is then removed, excepting 
that of the bridge below Dunloh, whose ^rches, when 
filled by the waters, will not admit a boat to pass, and 
thus occasion a temporary delay until the violence of 
the flood subsides. It is the opinion of engineers 
who have been employed to make the survey, that, 
with the aid of a few short canals and locks, in places 
where the navigation of the river is obstructed by 
rocks and shallows, a passage, commodious at all 
times, might be opened from the lake to the sea. At 
present the country is too poor to bear the expense 
of such an undertaking ; but if the mines on the bor- 
ders of the lake continue to be productive, it will pro* 
bably be attempted at no distant period. 

The hills on the northern shore of the lake slope 
gradually down to the water^s edge. They are culti- 
vated, and divided by numerous enclosures, and stud- 
ded with houses, whose appearance, at a distance* 
gives an air of liveliness to the scene ; but, on a near- 
er approach, the nakedness of the land is exposed to 
view. Many of the houses stand in open fields, with- 
out a tree or even a bush to afford them shelter ; and 
being whitened entirely over, the roofs not excepted, 
(an odious practice prevalent in many parts of Ire- 
land) they have a cold and comfortless aspect, which 
reminds one of the snows of winter. Though the 
northern shore appears the less pleasing the nearer 
it is approached, it nevertheless will be found de- 




i 



141 

sirable, in returning from the river Laune towards 
Ross, to keep close along it, for the sake of behold- 
ing the mountains on the opposite side of the lake, 
of which the spectator commands a more advanta- 
geous view the further he retires from their base. Of 
their general appearance some idea may be formed 
from the view of Mahony's point taken from the 
banks of the lake. The more elevated points are 
Magilly cuddy's reeks, which display a very curious 
and sudden break between two of the loftiest peaks ; 
the mountain beneath them, which borders the lake, 
is a part of Tomies. 

Mahony's point affords a considerable relief to the 
tameness and uniformity of the northern shore. Some 
large trees grow upon it, concealed amongst which 
there is a small lodge, occasionally occupied by the 
proprietor in the fishing and shooting seasons. 

At a short distance from Mahony's point another 
long neck of land projects into the lake, which con- 
tributes to give variety and intricacy to the shores. 
On passing it, an extensive bay opens bounded by 
hills, on which are seen several gentlemen's seats, at 
different elevations, encircled by woods. These hills 
have a very charming aspect from the mouth of the 
bay; but, like others in the same range, when ap- 
proached too closely, they cease to display those tra- 
ces of cultivation and improvement which pleased at 
a distance. The seats which appeared to embellish 



142 

the shores are found to be situated remotely from it ; 
and what the eye had converted into verdant lawns 
before them, sloping down to the margin of the 
lake, proves to be a swamp overrun with furze and 
brambles. 

Beyond this bay we again reach the flat shore in 
the vicinity of the river Denagh ; and here termi- 
nates our investigation of the western division of the 
lower lake. The eastern part, to which we next pro- 
ceed, may be entered from the bay of Ross, either 
by passing through the narrow channel which sepa- 
rates Ross island from the main shore, or by going 
round the point of the island opposite Innisfallen : 
the latter route is by much the most agreeable, on 
account of the extent and diversity of the prospect 
which it commands on every side. The very striking 
view which opens from the point of Ross island has 
already been mentioned. From the point, Tomies 
mountain alone is seen j but, on advancing further 
into the lake, and coasting along the shores of the 
island, Glena mountain soon appears, displaying not 
only its rocks and precipices on the side which is ex- 
posed to the broad part of the lake, but likewise the 
extensive forests which overhang the bay. The craggy 
tops of the mountains of the defile leading to the up- 
per lake next open to view 5 and to the left of these 
appear Turk, Mangerton, and the other mountains 

5 



143 

of the great frontier chain, gradually retiring in tlie 
distance. 

The coast of Ross island, on the side which is ex- 
posed to the broad part of the lake, is still more di- 
versified than on the opposite one which bounds the 
bay. Its promontories are bolder ; its bays and inlets 
deeper. One of the latter runs nearly across the 
island, and, in fact, when the water rises much above 
its ordinary level, communicates with Ross bay at the 
opposite side, and divides it into two distinct parts. 
The beauty of this inlet, before the w^oods were felled, 
surpassed that of every other on the confines of the 
lake. Its shores were then covered with majestic 
oaks, of which some were rooted in the clefts of steep 
and lofty rocks ; whilst others, growing in the low 
ground, near the water, dipped their branches into 
the very waves. In the distance, through the tufted 
foliage, rose the mossy towers of Ross castle ; and as 
the exact termination of the water was undefined, it 
bore the semblance of a spacious river, whose course 
was carried, by the imagination, beneath the very 
walls of the old fortress. To the eye which had never 
beheld this island when every promontory was adorn- 
ed with full-grown trees, and every creek and inlet 
sheltered by an impervious skreen, its wild and naked 
rocks will display innumerable charms ; but to him 
who recollects their former lovely clothing, they now 
appear bleak and desolate, and awaken the most lively 



H4f 

regret for the melancholy change they have under- 
gone. 

In the interval between Ross and Mucruss are a 
multitude of islands, whose variety in size and cha- 
racter is almost as extensive as their numbers. Some 
consist of naked rocks, which, having yielded to the 
constant attrition of the water, now display the most 
fantastic forms. One, which has been undermined 
except in the centre, where it remains partially sup- 
ported by short thick pillars, has received the name 
of O'Donaghoe's Table ; another, from a remote re- 
semblance to a colossal figure of a horse in the atti- 
tude of drinking, is denominated the Horse of the 
same legendary hero. The larger islands in the clus- 
ter are covered with thickets, which contain, in ge- 
neral, a profusion of evergreens. The Cow and the 
Rough islands are the most extensive. In the inter- 
vals between the trees, and amongst the rocks along 
the shores of these islands, there are small patches of 
coarse herbage : nor do they lie neglected ; for, in 
the beginning of summer, cattle are regularly trans- 
ported thither, as to a secure place, and left until the 
inclemency of the season and the deficiency of food 
render it necessary to provide them with better ac- 
commodation. The occasional appearance of these 
poor animals, rambling among the thickets, or stand- 
ing on the rocks to gaze at the boats which approach 
their insulated territories, is extremely interesting. 



145 

Some of them seem contented with their narrow 
boundaries ; whilst others, ill at ease, express their 
dissatisfaction by lowd bellowings ; and, roving from 
time to time around the confines of their little island, 
appear in eager search of some means of escape. 

The flat on each side of the river Flesk is the least 
interesting part of the boundary of the eastern divi- 
sion of the lake, and yet it contributes considerably 
to the general effect of the scenery j for when the 
eye, after having dwelt on it for a few minutes, turns 
round towards the mountains, they appear to have 
acquired additional height, and the woods and rocks 
more wildness and variety. It is covered with coarse 
grass, intermixed with rushes and flaggers, and ter- 
minates, at the margin of the lake, in a shelving 
sandy beach, which precludes the near approach of 
a boat. 

The casual appearance of cattle is the chief source 
of variety along this shore : 

On the grassy bank 

Some ruminating lie ; while others stand 
Half in the flood, and, often bending, sip 
The circling surface. 

Their groups sometimes appear to great advantage, 
relieved by the dark oak woods of Cahirnane, which 
skirt a considerable part of the plain* 

The coast of Mucruss, commencing at the little 
stream which falls into Castle lough bay, presents, as 

K 



146 

far as the eye can reach, a chain of steep rocks thickly 
covered with trees, whose aspect at a distance is 
tame and uniform ; but a. near approach discovers 
infinite variety. The rocks exhibit the wildest irre- 
gularities. Along the peninsula they have been un- 
dermined, like those of the islands, by the attrition 
of the waves, so that in many places large masses 
have been left impending over the lake. Traces may 
be discovered where similar masses, deprived in the 
course of time of support, have fallen with their su- 
perincumbent trees. Those which fell where the wa- 
ter was deep were swallowed up, and are seen no 
more ; or, if seen, appear only beneath the surface : 
others, which have tumbled in shallower places, form 
little promontories along the shore, or small islands, 
vv^hich are still shaded by the trees which they carried 
with them in their fall. The forms of these trees are 
unusually fanciful and picturesque ; in many instan- 
ces their roots appear exposed on the summit of the 
rocks, whilst their flourishing branches, extended 
along the surface of the lake, dip their quivering 
leaves into the water. 

The mansion-house of Mucruss looks extremely 
well from the water, relieved by the gloomy and so- 
lemn heights of Mangerton mountain ; and the lawns 
in its vicinity have a most delightful aspect, opening 
between the groves which adorn the shores. Along 
the peninsula, the numerous little inlets and promon- 



147 

tones keep the attention constantly awake. Some of 
its coves are most romantic, particularly one near 
Juniper island, which, being completely land-lock- 
ed, and sheltered on every side from the blast by 
tall trees and steep rocks, has been selected as a ha- 
ven for Colonel Herbert's large sailing-boats, where 
they ride at anchor with their masts and yards almost 
in contact with the branches. 

At the head of another cove the curious separation 
of the calcareous and siliceous rocks is observable, 
which has been already mentioned in the description 
of the peninsula. One side of this cove exhibits a 
steep and lofty cliff of massive blue limestone, whilst 
the opposite one shows the deep brown stratified si- 
liceous shelving down to the water. Towards Camil- 
lan point, the siliceous rocks lose this stratified ap- 
pearance, and rise in bold and broad masses ; but the 
eye, at a considerable distance, may trace the dis- 
tinction between them and the calcareous rocks, as 
well by the difference of their colour as by that of 
their arrangement. 

The last place which now remains to be described 
on the lower lake is the bay of Glena, which suddenly 
opens to view on passing round the point of Camil- 
lan. This is one of the magnificent scenes which cap- 
tivates every eye, and which, if Killarney were di- 
vested of every other charm, would in itself amply 
compensate for the toils of traversing the dreary and 



148 



rugged country, through which alone the lake can 
be approached. On one side, rising from the water's 
edge, appears a steep mountain, from whose brow 

Th* embowering forests overhang the deep ; 

on the opposite one a chain of low rocks surmounted 
with trees ; and in the centre, at a distance, is seen 
the entrance of the defile, through which the river 
from the upper lake flows into the head of the bay. 
The length of the bay is about one English mile ; its 
breadth nearly the same ; but, owing to the nume- 
rous inlets and promontories with which the shore is 
indented, its extent appears considerably greater. 
At the base of the mountain, along the margin of 
the lake, the individual forms of the branching oaks 
are distinctly seen ; but the trees which rise above 
these grow so closely together, that their united 
foliage forms an impervious and continuous shade, 
swelling with the protuberances of the mountain, or 
sinking with its glens, and interrupted alone by sud- 
den precipices or huge projecting rocks. From the 
mouth of the bay to the most distant part of the 
horizon, along the windings of the defile, all is one 
sylvan scene : 

Shade above shade, a woody theatre 
Of statehest view. 

Every gradation of green is observable in these woods 



lilflllll 




149 

during summer, from the silvery hues of the ash and 
willow to the deep verdure of the fir and yew ; and 
in autumn, when they are enriched by<;olours " whose 
beauty cheers the approach of the inclement season 
they forebode," the variety of the foliage, and the 
brilliant reflection of the innumerable tints upon the 
water, surpass all description. 

Within the forest, at a short distance from the wa- 
ter, there is a wild path amongst the rocks, leading 
from the point of Glena to a cottage at the head of 
the bay. In following its devious course, the eye is 
bewildered amongst the romantic beauties of the 
scene, whether it penetrates into the gloomy recesses 
of the mountain beneath the rocky cliffs, or, from the 
openings on the verge of the wooded glens, surveys 
the distant prospect of the lake and islands. Innu- 
merable rills fall in cascades from the mountain 
height, sparkling 

Within the twilight of the distant shade : 

these, as they descend through the forest, unite into 
larger streams; and, tumbling over rocks covered 
with moss, and decayed trees which have fallen across 
their course, run foaming into the lake. The appa- 
rent wildness of this scene is not surpassed by that 
of the forests of America ; and its solitude might be 
imagined as deep, were not the dream interrupted 
by the appearance of a painted boat, with its gay 



ISO 

company, on the lake beneath, or by the sound of 
music reverberated from the rocks of the mountain. 
From the very delightful effect of the echoes, un- 
der the wooded shores of Glena, few parties visit this 
part of the lake unattended by musicians, if it is pos- 
sible to procure them. I was once at Killarney with 
a party of ladies, who, enamoured of the charms of 
the scene and the effect of music on the water, were 
tempted to remain in the bay until midnight. The 
day had been sultry in the extreme ; but with night- 
fall a gentte breeze had arisen, just sufficient to ruffle 
the surface of the water. The moon at the same time 
was seen emerging from behind the woods, on the 
mountain top, 

with lessening orb 

And silver aspect, climbing through the leaves 
And thinner spray. 

The musicians, in a separate boat, were kept at such 
a distance that the notes might reach the ear soften- 
ed by their passage over the water, and the oars were 
only occasionally plied, to preserve a proper interval. 
The effect of music under such circumstances may 
be more easily conceived than described j 

The silver-sounding instruments did meet 
With the base murmure of the water's fall. 
The water's fall, with difference discreet. 
Now soft, now loud, unto the wind did call ; 
The gentle warbling wind low answered to all, 
: 8 



151 

He who has never sailed along the shores of Glena by 
the light of the moon, nor ever listened to the dying 
cadence of the echoes during the stillness of the 
night, may be justly pronounced a stranger to the 
most fascinating charms of Killarney. 

Painful is the task which now devolves upon me 
of relating that the woods of Glena, its glory and its 
ornament for ages, have been consigned, for a trifling 
consideration, to the timber-merchant. Cold must 
be the heart of that man, and insensible to the beau- 
ties of nature, who, conscious of their impending 
fate, could behold their romantic and venerable shade 
without heaving a sigh. Their sentence, I fear, has 
been inconsiderately pronounced, and hastily execu- 
ted. Already had the woodmen, when last I visited 
Killarney, commenced their ravages ; and, at the 
moment in which I write, Glena may mourn her de- 
nuded rocks and leafless glens. 

Much, however, as the loss of these woods is to 
be lamented, the alteration which their removal will 
occasion, in the general effect of the landscape, will 
probably be less severely felt than that which has re- 
sulted from cutting down the woods at Ross island. 
The latter contributed to adorn the shores of the 
lake, in a part where embellishment was most want- 
ing ; and the ground upon which they grew being 
comparatively low, the height of the trees was fully 
observable ; the castle of Ross also, just rising above 



252 

them, had a beautiful effect, and acquked increased 
dignity in the landscape, from their surrounding 
shade. The woods of Glena, on the contrary, being 
all disposed on the slope of a mountain, and so thickly 
interwoven that none of the stems of the trees were 
visible through the foliage, could scarcely be distin- 
guished, at the distance of a mile, from a coppice-^ 
wood j and a few years will be sufficient to produce 
other trees, which will conceal the nakedness of the 
mountain, and again exhibit, equally with those of 
larger growth, the variety and beauty of autumnal 
tints. But, on advancing into the bay of Glena, and 
approaching nearer to the mountain-shore, the me- 
lancholy deficiency must but too plainly be observed : 
it will be like entering the tenantless mansion of a 
departed friend, whose presence had given animation 
and pleasure to the now deserted scene. 

The red deer still runs wild on Glena, and perpe- 
tuates its race, amidst its native woods, alike unpro- 
tected and uncontrolled by man. The liberty of the 
chase, which constitutes a leading object of interest 
at Killarney, is readily granted on the solicitations o£ 
strangers. The expense, however, which attends the 
indulgence, and the precariousness of its ultimate 
success, contribute to prevent the frequency of its 
recurrence. Whenever, therefore, a hunt is announ- 
ced, it is expected with all that anxiety, and welco- 
med with all that joy, which are usually attendant 



15S 

upon events calculated to gratify public curiosity, or 
favour idleness. Immense crowds of people never 
fail to appear on the appointed day ; every boat on 
the lake is put into requisition ; and if a sufficient 
number of vessels could be procured to convey the 
whole population of Killarney to the shores of Glena, 
it might be apprehended that the whole town would 
be left destitute of inhabitants. 

On the day preceding the hunt, those preparations 
are made which are thought best calculated to en- 
sure it a happy issue. An experienced person is sent 
up the mountain to search for the herd, and watch 
its motions, in patient silence, till night comes on. 
The deer which remains the most aloof from its com- 
panions is carefully observed, and marked as the ob- 
ject of pursuit ; and it is generally found, at the dawn 
of the ensuing morning, in the vicinity of the evening 
haunt. Before the break of day, the dogs are con- 
ducted up the mountain as silently and secretly as 
possible, and are kept coupled, until some signal, 
commonly the firing of a small cannon, announces 
that the party commanding the hunt has arrived in 
boats at the foot of the mountain. Then the dogs 
are loosed, and brought upon the track of the deer. 
If the business, previous to the signal, has been si- 
lently and orderly conducted, the report of the can- 
non, the sudden shouts of the hunters on the moun* 
tain, which instantly succeed it ; the opening of the 



154 

dogs, and the loud and continued echoes, along an 
extensive region of woods and mountains, produce an 
effect singularly grand. 

Tremble the forests round ; the joyous cries 

Float through the vales ; and rocks, and woods, and hills. 

Return the varied sounds. 

The deer, upon being roused, generally endeavours 
to gain the summit of the mountains, that he may 
the more readily make his escape across the open 
heath to some distant retreat. To prevent this, num- 
bers of people are stationed, at intervals, along the 
heights, who, by loud shouting, terrify the animal 
and drive him towards the lake. At the last hunt 
which I attended, a company of soldiers were placed 
along the mountain-top, who, keeping up a running 
fire, effectually deterred him from once ascending. 
The hunt, however, begins to lose its interest after 
the first burst, and the ear becomes wearied with the 
incessant shouts which drown the opening of the 
hounds, and the echoes of their mellow tones. The 
ruggedness of the ground embarrasses the pursuers ; 
the scent is followed with difficulty, and often lost al- 
together, or only resumed at the end of a long inter- 
val : much confusion also arises from the emulous ef- 
forts of the people on the water to follow the course 
of the hunt, especially if it should take a direction to- 
wards the upper lake, when the contending boats are 
frequently entangled among the rocks and shoals of 



155 

the river which leads to it. Those who attempt to 
follow the deer through the woods are rarely grati- 
fied with a view, and are often excluded from the 
grand spectacle of his taking the soil, or, in other 
words, plunging into the lake. It is therefore gene- 
rally recommended to remain in a boat ; and those 
who have the patience to wait as long as five or six 
hours, are seldom disappointed. I was once gratified 
by seeing the deer run, for near a mile, along the 
shore, with the hounds pursuing him in full cry. On 
finding himself closely pressed, he leaped boldly from 
a rock into the lake, and swam towards one of the 
islands; but, terrified by the approach of the boats, 
he returned, and once more sought for safety on the 
main shore : soon afterwards, in a desperate effort to 
leap across a chasm between two rocks, his strength 
failed him, and he fell exhausted to the bottom. It 
was most interesting to behold the numerous specta- 
tors who hastened to the spot ; ladies, gentlemen, 
peasants, hunters, combined in various groups around 
the noble victim, as he lay extended in the depth of 
the forest. The stag, as is usual on these occasions, 
was preserved from death. 

Whether the red deer will long preserve their num- 
bers, after the woods of Glena, which have hitherto 
afforded them such shelter, are cut, appears very 
questionable. For a series of years past they have 
continued much in the same proportion. Very few 



156 

»re destroyed in the chase with which parties are in- 
dulged J for, when the animal enters the water, as he 
generally does, it is easy for persons in boats to take 
him ahve and uninjured. It appeared from the marks 
on the ears of the last I saw taken, that the same mis- 
chance had befallen him twice before. The day af- 
ter the hunt, he was a third time, to the amusement 
of a large party of ladies and gentlemen, turned out 
of a stable at Colonel Herbert's, and liberated in 
Mucruss demesne ; from which place, it was presu- 
med, he would soon escape, and, by swimming across 
the lake, regain his favourite abode on the side of 
Glena. 

Some years ago the deer descended from the moun- 
tains in great numbers, swam across the river, and 
committed such depredations among the young plan- 
tations at Mucruss, that the proprietor of that beau- 
tiful demesne was obliged to order all the interlopers 
to be shot : this reception soon taught the herds to 
keep within the bounds of their own forests. To 
other dangers I have not heard of their being expo- 
sed ; even the marauders of the country, except in 
rare instances, are said to respect them. 

The bay of Glena is remarkable for the best sal- 
mon fishery on the lake. This, and the other fisheries, 
are leased out at a small annual rent, under a con- 
dition that no more than two-pence a-pound shall be 
demanded for the produce in the town of Killarney, 



157 

All persons, however, are freely allowed to angle in the 
lake and in its rivers. The nets are commonly cast 
along a spacious inlet, just under Glena mountain, 
where occasionally very large draughts offish are ta- 
ken ; and, in the season, they are seldom drawn with- 
out taking som^. At all entertainments on the lake, 
salmon forms an essential part of the feast. The men, 
for a small gratuity, will postpone drawing their nets 
till the time of dinner approaches, and an hour after 
the fish swims in the lake it is served at table. The 
mode of dressing it, in which the men display much 
expertness, is to divide it into pieces of moderate 
size, which are roasted on fresh-cut twigs of the ar- 
butus tree, stuck in the ground before a smart fire 
made of dried leaves and sticks. They pretend that 
the arbutus wood adds considerably to the flavour of 
the fish ; but it is merely chosen, I believe, on ac- 
count of its hardness, and the convenience of its fork- 
ed shape. 

The quality of salmon caught in different places 
varies very much, and is dependent, no doubt, upon 
their food, and the different nature of the waters in 
which they are taken, whether salt or fresh ; and al- 
so upon the distance of the rivers or lakes which they 
frequent from the ocean, and the facility with which 
they can be ascended. In the opinion of many who 
have had an opportunity of making a fair compari- 
son, the preference is given, and, perhaps, with jus* 



158 

tice, to the salmon found in the lakes and rivers 
along the western coast ; among which that of Kil- 
larney is held in great estimation. 

At the head of Glena bay, on the verge of the 
woods, there is a small cottage, which appears in the 
distance in the view of the bay. It was built as a 
place of entertainment by the proprietor of this part 
of the lake j and is left open for the accommodation 
of strangers. It contains two rooms, which com- 
mand very agreeable prospects of the lake, and a 
kitchen, the convenience of which occasions it to be 
frequently selected as a place for refreshment and 
repose. 

The low shore which bounds the bay of Glena on 
the side next to Turk lake, is extremely beautiful, 
although it possesses none of those bold features which 
characterize the mountain. Adorned, like the other 
parts of the peninsula, with forest-trees, shrubs, and 
evergreens, all wildly intermingled, its rocky promon- 
tories and deep recesses are equally varied and nu- 
merous. The shattered rocks which lie along the 
coast appear, however, to have been detached from 
the masses to which they once adhered, not by the 
attrition of the waves of the lake, but rather by the 
percolation of water from above, and the expansion 
of the roots of the trees which grew between their 
fissures. One of the most picturesque scenes along 
this shore is a little wooded creek, at the head of 



159 

which, resting upon rocks, appears the single-arched 
bridge which connects the extremity of the penin- 
sula with Brickeen island. Beneath the arch is seen 
a considerable expanse of Turk lake, with a reach of 
the opposite shore ; and in the distance rises Turk 
mountain, whose gloomy brow forms an admirable 
relief to the grey old walls of the bridge. 

Turk lake may be entered either by the passage 
under this bridge, or by coasting round the shores of 
Dennis island, and following the course of the river 
which flows into Glena bay. Each entrance is very 
delightful ; but the latter claims the preference, on 
account of the more sudden and unexpected view of 
the lake which opens from it. The river, near the 
termination of its course at the bay of Glena, is slug- 
gish, and the bank low and sedgy ; but, as you as- 
cend, it assumes a very different character. The 
banks soon become steep and rugged, and the water, 
confined within a narrower channel, rushes with great 
impetuosity between the rocks. 

To this great diversity is principally to be attri- 
buted the pleasing impression which the scenery of 
Killarney never fails to leave on the mind of every 
visitor. After traversing the wide expanse of the 
lower lake, surveying the beauties of its numerous 
islands, and exploring the windings of its shores, 
suddenly new and romantic passages open to view, 
which lead to other lakes, and to other scenes, still 



160 . 

more inviting than those which have already engaged 
and delighted the eye. 

The view upon this river is taken from the main 
shorCj just at the bend under Dinis island, which ap- 
pears on the left. The large mountain is that of 
Turk. The river flows between this mountain and 
the woods at its base ; and at the point of land, in 
the centre of the picture, where the stems of the trees 
are visible, it divides into two branches 5 one of which 
turns off into Turk lake, whilst the other runs to- 
wards the bay of Glena. 

The branch of the river which falls into Turk lake 
is so narrow, that the trees upon the opposite banks 
almost touch. The channel is rocky and intricate 5 
one boat only caii pass at a time, and seldom can 
that one be conducted through without repeated con- 
cussions. When at last it gets completely disengaged 
from the rocks near the mouth of the river, the cur- 
rent hurries it on with astonishing velocity, so that, 
in a few seconds, it is drifted a considerable way into 
the open lake. The eye, no longer restricted to the 
close coverts of the woods, or to the dazzling motion 
of the torrent, whose roar yet vibrates on the ear, 
can now repose in tranquillity on the placid lake, or 
range unconfined for miles along the distant shores. 
So sudden is the transition, that the wondering senses 
almost doubt of its reality ; and when, on turning 
back, no traces can be discerned of the passage by 



161 

which the boat entered, which is quickly concealed 
by tufts of trees, the change appears less attributable 
to the ordinary courses of nature than to the magic 
influence of the Genius of the Lake. 

The middle, or Turk lake, is about two English 
miles in length, and somewhat less than one in 
breadth : it is bounded on the south by Turk moun- 
tain, from which it derives its name, and on the op- 
posite side by the woods and rocks of the peninsula 
of Mucruss. The mountain displays little variety 
either in its water line or on its surface. It is mark- 
ed by no bold precipices, by no glens ; and, though 
it rises steeply from the lake, is in most parts easy of 
access ; but the deep gloom which it spreads over 
the water at its base gives solemnity to the scene. A 
large tract of this mountain has been lately planted 
by Colonel Herbert, which, when more advanced, 
will diversify the surface and adorn the landscape. 
The improvements of the same gentleman along the 
eastern shore appear to much advantage from the 
water. 

The peninsula here presents nearly the same as- 
pect as on the side which is washed by the lower 
lake. Its rocks are excavated in a similar manner by 
the attrition of the waves ; but they have been more 
deeply undermined, and larger fragments of them 
have been detached, and precipitated into the lake. 
Nearly opposite to the mines, an immense mass of 



162 

lock and eaith has fallen, which claims attention not 
less on account of its picturesque form, than the ex- 
traordinary mixture it exhibits of various mineral 
substances. Devfl's island is also an object of curi- 
osity ; though now considerably distant from the 
shore, it appears evidently to have once formed a 
part of the peninsula* 

Such striking instances of the powerful operation 
of the waves on this side of the peninsula, would lead 
to a supposition that Turk was exposed to more fre- 
quent and more violent storms than the lower lake ; 
for the stone is nearly of the same quality. The fact, 
however, is directly opposite; for the same winds 
which disturb the former also affect the latter ; where« 
as it frequently happens that the lower lake is much 
agitated when the waters of Turk remain sheltered, 
and present a smooth unruffled surface. 

This difference cannot escape the observation of 
persons who continue long at Eillarney. To parties 
who have spent the day on the peaceful waters of 
Turk, or on the upper lake, and who, while they ob- 
serve the calm which reigns in those sheltered re- 
gions, continue unsuspicious of the effects of the 
wind in another quarter, it is often a source of sur- 
prise and alarm to behold the heavy waves which 
have arisen during their absence, rolling in the lower 
lake, at the base of the mountains. Sometimes they 
prove so boisterous, that it k found totally imprac* 



163 

ticable to repass the lake in crowded boats ; and the 
passengers, after landing, are obliged to regain the 
town by the circuitous route of the peninsula. 

The hoarse sound of the water dashing amongst 
the rocks, the whistling of the wind through the 
trees, and the gloomy aspect of the mountains frown- 
ing through the clouds, contribute to give a most 
awful effect to the storm. To behold the lake under 
its influence may be desired by him who would look 
on nature in all the varieties of sublime disorder ; but 
it is only during a perfect Calm that the full beauties 
of the scenery are displayed, when the deep shades 
of the mountains and the images of the rocks and 
trees are distinctly reflected on the glassy surface of 
the water. 

The islands of Brickeen and Dinis, at the western 
extremity of Turk lake, differ alone from the penin- 
sula in being less elevated above the water. Both are 
thickly covered with trees, above the tops of which 
are seen, at a ^hort distance, the hanging forests of 
Glena ; the whole forming a sylvan scene rarely 
equalled in richness and variety. Dinis is one of the 
most delightful spots on Killarney, and is much re- 
sorted to by parties of pleasure, for whose accommo- 
dation there was formerly a neat little cottage in the 
centre of the island, on the borders of a lawn sur- 
rounded by woods. The materials of which it was 
constructed were of a very perishable nature, and af- 



164 

ter remaining for some time in a ruinous state, it was 
pulled down. At present there is no building on the 
island, except a small dwelling which is occupied by 
the family of a wood-ranger. On the arrival of stran- 
gers, some of the females generally appear, to wel- 
come them to their shores, and guide them through 
the romantic walks of the island. Groups of chil- 
dren, pictures of innocence and health, also come 
forward, in the season, with bowls of nuts or wild 
strawberries, diffidently presenting their offerings, in 
silent expectation of some trifling reward. 

The island of Dinis affords a greater diversity of 
prospect than any place of the same extent on the 
confines of Killarney. On passing round its shores, 
Turk lake, the bay of Glena, and the rapid river from 
the upper lake, rushing in a torrent under the old 
weir bridge, successively open to view. The tumul- 
tuous motion of the stream amongst the rocks, and 
its roaring sound echoed through the woods of the 
island, add to the wild charms of the scene, and give 
coolness and freshness to the shores, which render 
them, during the summer season, a most delightful 
retreat. 

The rapidity of the current under the old weir 
bridge, forms an impediment to the ascent of boats 
not to be counteracted without considerable efforts, 
and never fails to occasion much delay in proceeding 
to the upper lake. To render the boats more ma- 



163 

nageable, tlie passengers are always required to land, 
and walk through tlie woods till they get above the 
bridge ; and, even after being thus lightened, it re- 
quires the united strength of nine or ten men to drag 
a large boat against the stream. When the water is 
low, as it commoply is during the dry months of 
summer, the force of the current is more easily coun- 
teracted ; but the channel is then so intricate, owing 
to the shallowness of the water, that the boats fre- 
quently become fastened, and can only be disenga- 
ged by being lifted over the ledges of rocks, for which 
purpose the men are obliged to go into the water. In 
descending the stream during floods, and shooting 
through the bridge, coolness and dexterity are no 
less requisite than vigour and perseverance were du- 
ring the ascent. 

The bridge consists of two arches, of which one 
alone affords a passage for boats ; the other is ob- 
structed by a wall, built across the stream from the 
central pier to the shore.* It was intended formerly 
as part of a fishing weir, and is now left for the pur- 
pose of deepening the channel at the opposite side. 

Accidents have frequently occurred here during 
floods. The following narration of one which hap- 
pened a few years ago was communicated to me by 
a relation of my own, who was a participator in the 

* See the vignette on the first page. 



166 

danger and escape. Returning at the close of day, 
with a numerous company, from the shores of the 
upper lake, a gentleman of the party, in a moment 
of frolic, undertook to steer through the rapid. Not 
having directed the boat, in time, into the proper 
channel, it became ungovernable 5 and being hur- 
ried towards the obstructed arch, was almost instan- 
taneously drifted by the irresistible impetuosity of 
the torrent, upon the top of the wall then covered 
with water. In that situation it remained suspended 
for some time, yielding alternately from side to side 
to the preponderating power of the flood, and in im- 
minent danger each moment of being overwhelmed. 
The critical and perilous situation of those who re- 
mained in it was seen by their companions on shore ; 
but to relieve them was impossible. In the mean 
time, the position of the boat was gradually altered 
by the force of the current ; and at last, being sud- 
denly swept oif, it was dashed with violence against 
the central pier. The side was beaten in with a ter- 
rible crash, and the oars and poles shivered to pieces. 
Efforts were now made to relieve the sufferers ; who, 
abandoning through terror the exertions calculated 
to obtain safety, had prostrated themselves on their 
knees in despair. Handkerchiefs were lowered from 
the parapet pf the bridge, and the branches of the 
neighbouring trees bent down for their support ; but 
before their utility could be tried, the boat righted j 



167 

and, being torn througli the obstructed arcli, where 
never boat had passed before, floated without fur- 
ther injury to the shores of Dinis. 

I was tokl of another boat having been overset in 
passing through this bridge, with two men, both of 
whom instantly disappeared, and were not seen again 
until they rose in Turk lake. One of them, a negro, 
soon recovered the shock, and, being an excellent 
swimmer, regained the shore in safety j but the other 
had suffered so much from concussions against the 
rocks, that he was rendered quite senseless, and in 
that state was drifted by the current on the beach of 
Dinis island. He was fortunately discovered before it 
was too late, and, by continued and well-applied ex- 
ertions, was restored to life. 

At a short distance above the weir bridge the 
stream appears quite placid, and in general it main- 
tains this character throughout its course from the 
upper lake, except in a few places where the channel 
is contracted between rocks, or obstructed by bars 
and shoals. When not flooded, its ordinary breadth 
seldom exceeds fifteen yards ; but occasionally it ex- 
pands to upwards of one hundred, whilst, at some of 
the passes between the rocks, it is so narrow as not 
to admit of more than one boat at a time. Its course 
is very devious : sometimes running for a consider- 
able distance close to the mountains, under immense 
masses of rocks ^ sometimes meandering through the 



16a 

centre of the defile, or dividing into branches, which, 
after enclosing numerous little islands, unite again. 
The scenery throughout is of the most picturesque 
description, and highly varied, although there is but 
little difference in the distance ; for on that part of 
the river which lies above the Eagle's Nest, the pros- 
pects looking downwards are invariably bounded by 
Turk mountain, and, in the opposite direction, by 
the great mountains beyond the upper lake. 

These mountains, which rise on each side of the de- 
file, or valley through which the river takes its course, 
are not of great elevation ; and, with the exception 
of the one known by the name of the Eagle's Nest, 
are not distinguished either for the gracefulness or 
boldness of their outHne : but the great diversity and 
wildness of their surface are inexhaustible sources of 
gratification, which keep the eye constantly engaged 
during the w^hole passage from the old weir bridge to 
the tipper lake. They display immense precipices, 
and deep glens overhung with woods ; each glen af- 
fords a channel to a mountain stream, and each 
stream supplies a cascade. Many of these falls ap- 
pear with inconceivable beauty sparkling through the 
trees which shade their gloomy recesses ; whilst the 
existence of others is only known by the sound of 
their gushing waters. 

Now tumbles o'er some rock their crystal pride ; 
Sonorous now they roll adown the glade, 
Now plaintive tinkle in the secret shade. 



169 

From the old weir bridge to the upper lake the dis- 
tance is about three English miles. The defile, strictly 
speaking, only commences at the Eagle's Nest ; for 
between this place and the bridge there is an exten- 
sive tract of low swampy ground, stretching from 
the banks of the stream to the foot of Glena moun- 
tain. Along the bottom of the defile the ground in 
general is of the same description ; but there are se- 
veral elevated spots, yielding a coarse herbage, w^hich 
the husbandman does not deem unworthy of his care, 
and they are annually mown. Seldom, however, do 
the floods with which the valley is liable to be over- 
w^helmed allow him to enjoy the fruits of his labour 
without many disappointments. The hay is com- 
monly removed several different times before it can 
be brought home ; and frequently it receives so much 
injury as ultimately to be totally unfit for use. I once 
counted upwards of fifty large stacks of hay, which 
had been made on the banks of the river, very nearly 
covered with water. The valley is much better 
adapted to pasturage ; and numerous herds of cattle 
are fed in it, whose varied groups contribute to the 
rural charms of the scene, some cooling themselves 
in the little pools which spread between the rushes ; 
others reposing on the grassy banks; while many, of 
a more intractable and rambling disposition, may be 
descried on the very summit of the mountains : 



170 

Who rove o'er bog and heath, and graze or bro^v^e 

Alternate to collect, with due dispatch, 

O'er the bleak wild, the thinly-scatter'd meal. 

The lowing of these animals occasionally produces 
the most astonishing effect, owing to the numerous 
echoes, for which the place is distinguished above 
every other part of Killarney. 

The most remarkable object on the river is a lofty 
cliff, called the Eagle's Nest ; so designated from an 
^yry situated on one of its projecting rocks, which 
has been annually frequented by the eagle during 
time immemorial. Well may it be styled 

' . . . his fort, the towering seat 
For ages of his empire, which in peace 
' Unstain'd he holds, while many a league to sea 

He wings his course, and preys in distant isles. - 

The exact position of the eyry is curiously marked 
by a horizontal fissure, which resembles a pair of large 
extended wings. During the breeding season, the 
birds may occasionally be seen from the river ; and, 
if alarmed by shouts or by firing a gun, they will 
launch themselves into the air, and will continue ho- 
vering about the rock at an immense height. It has 
not been satisfactorily ascertained to what particular 
species the eagle which frequents this rock belongs. 
By some it has been asserted that the ospray, or fish- 
ing eagle, is the only one known in Ireland ; but 



171 

amongst the mountains of Kerry I have myself re- 
marked several kinds, particularly one of a very dark 
brown, and another of an ash colour. From descrip- 
tions that have been received, it is probable that the 
golden eagle has also been seen in the south of Ireland. 
The fishing eagle is by much the most common ; and 
on the sea-coast, where there are large shoals offish, 
he may be generally observed very actively employed. 
He is easily distinguishable among the large flocks 
of different sea-fowl, by his heavy wing, superior size, 
and strong flight, and also by his mode of fishing, 
which varies from that of the web-footed tribes. The 
latter take the fish in their beaks, and devour them 
upon the water ; whereas the eagle always strikes 
with his talons, and, having secured his prey, hastens 
to some rock to enjoy his repast. Eagles are very 
commonly seen on the small islands of the lower 
lake, particularly on some which abound wdth rabbits, 
watching for their prey ; and on a calm day, being 
unwilling to take wing, owing to the difficulty which 
they then experience in mounting into the air, they 
exhibit all the appearance of tameness and familiarity, 
and will suffer a person to approach within a very 
short distance. Notwithstanding the eager endea- 
vours of the people of the country to destroy them, in 
consequence of the great depredations they commit 
amongst lambs and poultry, particularly during the 
breeding season, when their rapacity is inordinate. 



112 

tlie number of these birds is supposed to be increa- 
sing in Kerry. 

The cliff called the Eagle's Nest forms a termina- 
tion to a short range of mountains, which runs in a 
direction across that of the stream. These mountains 
are visible from the bay of Glena, and from the oppo- 
site shores of the lower lake ; but the wild grandeur 
of the cliff, its immense rocks, and graceful pendent 
woods, are not distinctly perceived, owing to the ob- 
structions along the banks of the river, at a greater 
distance than two hundred yards. The prospect sud- 
denly opens on passing a small promontory, and dis- 
closes to view a huge pile of rocks rising in a pyra- 
midal form : 

. . A cliff to heaven up piled, 
Of rude access, of aspect wild ; 
Vv^here tangled round the jealous steep 
Strange shades o'erbrow the valley deep. 

The water is considerably dilated at its base ; and, 
being securely sheltered, it generally presents a dark 
and glassy surface, on which the rocks and woods are 
beautifully reflected. Towards the summit of the 
pile, the rocks in many places have been disjointed 
and split into small fragments, by the constant and 
powerful action of the weather ; but lower down they 
present a broad perjiendicular surface, not unhke the 
bulwarks of some mighty fortress. Oak, birch, and 
ash trees clothe the base of the cliff, forming a dense 



lis 

shade, interrupted alone by the masses of grey rocks 
which obtrude their craggy heads through the foHage ; 
and even to the very summit of the pile, scattered 
trees, of slender growth, spring from the fissures of 
the rock, dependent, seemingly, upon the stone itself 
for nourishment. 

The Eagle's Nest is represented in the engraving 
as it appears from the opposite bank, about one hun- 
dred yards higher up the stream ; from which posi- 
tion it is seen as it were in profile, the range of moun- 
tains of which it forms a part being concealed. The 
river flows from the left, winds round the cliff, and 
loses itself behind the dark rocks on the right ; and 
in the distance appears a gloomy vale, one of those 
ill-fated spots. 

Which, circled round with a gigantic heap 
Of mountains, never felt, nor ever hopes 
To feel, the genia! influence of the sun. 

It is scarcely in the power of language to convey 
an adequate idea of the extraordinary effect of the 
echoes under this cliff, whether they repeat the dul- 
cet notes of music, or the loud discordant report of 
a cannon. Enchantment here appears to have resu- 
med her reign, and those who listen are lost in amaze- 
ment and delight. 

To enjoy the echoes to the utmost advantage, it is 
necessary that a band of musicians should be placed 
on the banks of the river, about fifty yards below the 



1-T.4 

base of the cliff, and at the same side ; while the aii^ 
ditors, excluded from their view, seat themselves on 
the opposite bank, at some distance above the cliff, 
behind a small rocky projection. Were a stranger 
conducted hither ignorant of this arrangement, and 
unprepared by any previous description for the illu- 
sory effect of the echo, I am persuaded he would be 
unable to form a tolerable conjecture as to the source 
of the sounds, or the number of the instruments. 
The primary notes are quite lost, whilst those which 
are reverberated meet the ear increased in strength, 
in brilliancy, and in sweetness. Sometimes it might 
be supposed that multitudes of musicians, playing 
upon instruments formed for more than mortal use, 
were concealed in the caverns of the rock, or behind 
the trees on different parts of the cliff; at others, 
when a light breeze favours the delusion, it seems as 
if they were hovering in the air. At intervals the 
treble sounds of flutes and clarionets. 

In sweet vibrations thrilling o'er the skies, 

are alone heard ; and then again, after a short susr 
pension. 

The clanging horns swell their sweet winding notes, 
. . . . and load the trembling air 
With various melody. 

But notwithstanding the occasional swell and predo- 
minance of certain instruments, the measure of the 



melody is not impaired, nor do the notes come con- 
fusedly to the ear : the air which is played should, 
however, be very slow, and the harmony simple, af- 
fording a frequent repetition of perfect chords. 

When the music has subsided, whilst every auditor 
still remains in a state of breathless admiration, it is 
usual to discharge a cannon from the promontory op- 
posite to the cliff, which never fails to startle and to 
stun the ear, ill prepared as it must be for the shock, 
after dwelling upon the sweet melody which has pre- 
ceded it. The report of the gun produces a discor- 
dant crash, as if the whole pile of rocks were rent 
asunder ; and the succeeding echoes resemble a tre- 
mendous peal of thunder. During a favourable state 
of the atmosphere, upon which much depends, twelve 
reverberations, and sometimes more, maybe distinctly 
counted ; and what appears extraordinary, after the 
sound has been totally lost, it occasionally revives, 
becomes louder and louder for a few seconds, and 
then again dies away : 

Now seems it far and now anear, 
Now meets, and now eludes the ear ; 
Now seems some mountain's side to sweep, 
Now dies away in valley deep. 

" Here," says Mr Ockenden,* " we again rested on 
our oars to mark the flight of numerous eagles (the 



* Letters from Killarney, published 1*767. 
3 



176 

chief inhabitants of these lofty regions,) which was 
slow, solemn, and very high, to view the marble* 
chasm in the perpendicular side of the mountain, in 
which they had formed their nests, and to admire the 
many noble objects which presented themselves on 
every hand, in this stupendous scene ; when sud- 
denly, to our inexpressible amazement, we were sur- 
prised with music sweeter than I had ever heard be- 
fore, which seemed to rise from the rock at which 
we gazed, and, breaking upon us in short melodious 
strains, filled the very soul with transport. 

" Angels from the sky, or fairies from the moun- 
tain, or O'Donaghoe from the river, was what we 
every moment expected to appear before us ; but af- 
ter a quarter of an hour's fixed attention, all our rap- 
tures were dispersed by a clap of thunder most asto- 
nishingly loud, which, bursting from the same direc- 
tion whence the music had lately seemed to flow, 
rent the mountain with its roar, and filled us with the 
apprehension of being instantly buried in a chaos of 
wood, hill, and water. But the horror was as sud- 
denly dissipated by the return of the soothing strain 
which had before entranced us. 

" The second music, which immediately succeed- 
ed the thunder, seemed more soft and lulling than 
the first ; but our elysium was very short, being soon 



* Quartz was mistaken for marble. 



177 

lost in another clap, still louder than that which had 
preceded it, and which burst suddenly upon us, again 
awaking us to terror : when lo ! a third return of mu- 
sic, superlatively sweet indeed, restored our senses 
and reinstated our hearts. It lasted some time, and 
a most solemn silence ensued. We waited now, mo- 
tionless and awe-struck, for what wonders might fol- 
low next in this region of enchantment. We gazed 
at, the wood, the rock, the mountain, and the river, 
with alternate hope and fear ; hope, while the music 
dwelt on our thoughts ; and fear, while we remem- 
bered the thunder : and we expected, with pleasing 
impatience, some marvellous event. In vain : no 
angel appeared to delight our eyes ; no daemons to 
alarm us with new terrors ; no O'Donaghoe to gra- 
tify our curiosity.'* 

When their Excellencies the Earl and Countess of 
Hardwicke visited Killarney, during the summer of 
the year 1802, an officer of a ship of war cruising on 
the western coast, conveyed two pieces of cannon, of 
large calibre, in a king's boat, up the river Laune ; 
an enterprise that was pronounced impracticable un- 
,til it was performed. The crew remained encamped, 
for some weeks, on the island of Innisfallen 5 and the 
guns were repeatedly fired on different parts, of the 
lake. That the echoes would have been proportion- 
ate to the strength of their report was a natural ex- 
pectation ; but, whether attributable to the prejudice 

M 



178 

of the inhabitants of the country in favour of what 
they were habituated to, or to the peculiarly unfa- 
vourable state of the atmosphere at the time of the 
trial, it was the concurrent opinion that the report of 
the ship guns was not attended either with as loud or 
as numerous echoes as that of the small pieces in or- 
dinary use loaded with a few ounces of powder. 

The generality of persons who visit Killarney have 
no opportunity of judging of the effect of musical 
sounds at the Eagle's Nest, or on other parts of the 
lake, as the only musicians who reside on the spot 
are two wretched performers on the French horn and 
bugle. Having been fortunate enough myself, each 
time that I visited Killarney, to be associated with 
parties who could command the services of a select 
military band, I can speak from experience of the 
superior advantage to be derived from a number of 
instruments. The simple notes of the bugle alone 
are indeed pleasing, but the wonders of the echo 
consist in the distinct repetition of a combination of 
sounds. A barrel organ would probably prove the 
best substitute for a band, and be well adapted to the 
place : no such instrument has ever yet been brought 
upon the lake, though one or more would afford a 
certain livelihood to the proprietors : but when the 
people of the town are so blind to their own interest 
as to have neglected the attainment of many of the 
ordinary conveniences of life for the accommodation 



179 

of strangers, it is not surprising that they are badly 
provided with music. 

The devious course of the river above the Eaglets 
Nest, and the numerous impediments which commonly 
arise from rocks, shoals, and the rapidity of the cur- 
rent, are productive of repeated disappointment, and 
excite no small degree of impatience in those who 
anticipate the view of the romantic confines of the 
upper lake. The long-wished-for scene is expected 
to open at every turn ; but one short reach of the ri- 
ver succeeds to another, terminated by huge rocks, 
beyond which nothing is visible but distant moun- 
tains. At length the boat arrives in a little basin, 
bounded for the most part by steep rocks, to which 
several different outlets appear. The stranger natu- 
rally concludes that one to be the proper channel 
which is the widest, and whose direction accords best 
with the course of the river : it is not without sur- 
prise, therefore, that he beholds the oars, after a few 
strong and rapid strokes, drawn in, and the boat sud- 
denly put about, and directed through a narrow pass 
between the rocks, barely sufficient for its admission. 
This is the entrance to the upper lake ; and, soon af- 
ter passing it, the most distant shores are revealed to 
view, with the immense mountains which rise be- 
yond them. 

The pass goes by the name of Coleman's eye, and 
is so called, it is said, after a legendary hero of that 



180 



Bame, who, in the eagerness of the chase, or in pur- 
suit of an enemy, having leaped across the stream at 
this place, left the impression of his foot on the rock 
where he alighted ; a miracle minutely described and 
studiously exaggerated by the credulous guides. 

The upper lake is situated in the midst of a stupen- 
dous amphitheatre of mountains, and displays the 
most wild and romantic scenery. Its length is nearly 
the same as that of Turk, its breadth somewhat infe- 
rior. The mountains which bound it on each side 
are a continuation of those of the defile, and are cha- 
racterized by similar features j but they are much 
loftier, and their parts are all on a grander scale : 
the glens are deeper ; the woods more extensive, and 
of older growth ; the rivers larger ; and the falls more 
lofty and precipitate. The mountains situated at the 
upper extremity of the lake are the most elevated, as 
well as the most varied in their outline ; amongst 
which Magillycuddy's reeks rise pre-eminent in gran- 
deur above all the rest. These mountains are visible 
from the lower lake j but their appearance on this 
side is so very different, that they would scarcely be 
recognised for the same. Instead of an assemblage 
of conical peaks, they here display a long craggy 
ridge, which seems to be reduced like a wedge to a 
very narrow breadth, at the summit ; and, on ascend- 
ing, it is found not to be less narrow than it appears 
irom below. Their height is about three thousand 



181 

feet, and they are seldom unobscured by clouds 5 a 
circumstance which contributes to render their as- 
pect, at times, peculiarly sublime. 

On entering the upper lake, the attention is at 
first wholly engaged by the vastness of the mountains ; 
and next by the extreme wildness and ruggedness of 
the scene. The numerous islands, as well as the 
shores, present on every side immense rocks ; some 
bleak and terrific j others, of a less savage aspect, 
teeming with vegetable life. Several of the islands, 
though apparently solid masses of stone, are covered 
with a profusion of trees, and abound with ever- 
greens, amongst which the arbutus predominates. 

This tree flourishes on every part of the shores of 
Killarney ; but it attains a larger size, and is found 
in greater abundance, in the woods of Glena moun- 
tain, and on the islands of the upper lake, than else- 
where. As a single tree it is not picturesque ; but, 
associated with others, the fine mellow green of its 
leaves gives variety and richness to the masses of 
foliage, particularly after the leaves of the deciduous 
trees are suffused with brown and yellow tints. Its 
clustered berries, which, when ripe, resemble large 
scarlet strawberries, have a very pretty appearance, 
as they hang drooping over the dark rocks ; but one 
cannot submit with patience to hear them mentioned 
as essential ornaments to the scenery of Killarney. 
Theiu beauty, nevertheless, is extolled in • every de- 



1^2 

scription of the lake ; and on the spot we are told, 
with ill-timed exultation, that the proprietor of the 
woods, unwilHng, to strip the landscape of every em- 
bellishment, has generously ordered that all the ar« 
butus trees should remain untouched. Grateful would 
it have been to the admirers of woodland scenery, if 
a few of the venerable oaks of Glena had been spared 
In their stead. 

The rocks along the shores of the islands of the 
upper lake are of a remarkably dark colour, which 
agrees so nearly with the reflections of overshadow- 
ing trees in the water, in calm weather, that the line 
of separation cannot be traced without difficulty. At 
the western extremity of the lake the islands form a 
cluster, among which that called Ronayn's appears 
conspicuous, from its superior size, and from a cot- 
tage which has been lately erected as a place of en- 
tertainment. On the appearance of strangers, an old 
couple, to whom the care of the island has been in- 
trusted, generally put off from the opposite shore in 
a little skiff, to welcome their arrival and open the 
doors of the building. A gravel walk, commencing 
at the landing, passes before the door of the cottage, 
and, winding round the rocks, leads to a sort of na- 
tural terrace on the summit of the island, which is 
nearly forty feet above the level of the water. No 
powers of language are adequate to convey an idea 
of the wildness and variety of the view which opens 



183 

from this spot. The lake is seen in all its intricate 
windings studded with islands, and bounded by im- 
mense mountains, 

With woods o'erhung and slia g'd with mossy rock, 
Whence, on each hand, the gushing waters play. 
And down the rough cascades white dashing fall. 
Or gleam in lengthened vistas through the trees. 

Not a single habitation, not a trace of man's labour, 
can be discovered in any part of this vast amphi- 
theatre. 

Such romantic solitudes are not less calculated to 
delight the eye of the enthusiastic admirer of the wild 
beauties of simple nature, than to favour the medita- 
tions of the sage : 

for wisdom's self 

Oft seeks to sweet retired solitude. 
Where, with her best nurse, contemplation. 
She plumes her feathers and lets grow her wingS; 

It is scarcely possible, indeed, to enter the confines 
of this sequestered and enchanting region without 
feeling the influence of a spell, which abstracts the 
mind from the noise and folly of the world, and ba- 
nishes, for the moment, the desire of returning to 
the gay and busy scenes of human life. So powerful 
are its effects, that instances are not wanting of per- 
sons, who, on first coming hither, have fondly resol- 
ved to retire to these distant shades ; and who, with 
the permission of the proprietors of the shores, have 



1S4 

actually determined on the precise position of their 
intended retreats. But, as if the spell was liable to 
be dissolved when the mountains of Killarney faded 
from view, or, as if a temporary absence from the|ha- 
bitual enjoyments of the pleasures of social life served 
but to render a return to them the more agreeable, 
these visionary schemes have been generally aban- 
doned on withdrawing from the scenes which gave 
them birth. One man, however, there was, upon 
whose romantic mind a deeper impression was made : 
he was an Englishman, of the name of Ronayn. The 
spot which he selected for his retreat was this small 
island, which yet retains his name ; and, when first I 
visited Killarney, the ruins of his little habitation, 
planted in the midst of rocks very near the water, 
were still visible. They inspired one vidth a respect 
for the place j nor was it possible to contemplate 
them without falling into a train of reflection upon 
the variety of sentiments entertained by men about 
happiness, that invariable object of eager and hourly 
pursuit. The mind was also led to consider how little 
was actually wanting to supply the real necessities, 
even of a man who had from infancy, perhaps, been 
habituated to the comforts and conveniences of ci- 
vilized life. Surely the spot should have been held 
sacred, as long as a fragment of the habitation re- 
mained visible : but the spirit of improvement, as it 
is often so falsely styled, has swept away every ves- 



185 

tige of Ronayn's cottage ; and the mossy rocks, 
where he was wont to seat himself before it, have gi- 
ven place to the trim surface of a smooth shorn grass 
plot. 

Of the motives which induced this gentleman to 
withdraw from the world, whether they arose from 
an innate love of retirement, from disappointment in 
his pursuits, or from 

Strolcps of adversity no time can r.nve. 

No lenient hand can soften or assuage, • 

or whether they arose from his experience of the in- 
sufficiency of the ordinary pleasures and luxuries of 
life to afford permanent satisfaction, it has never fal- 
len within my power to learn. He avoided all so- 
ciety 'y and seldom left the island except to partake of 
his favourite amusements of shooting or fishing, by 
which he procured his chief sustenance. Thus sin- 
gular in his habits, he became exposed to the eye of 
curiosity : and, offended at frequent and impertinent 
intrusion, his jealousy of the approach of strangers 
sometimes betrayed itself in acts of savage morose- 
ness ; nevertheless, his name is still mentioned at 
Killarney with respect, nay even with admiration. 

The shores of the upper lake are extremely intri- 
cate, being indented by numerous wooded and rocky 
promontories, by bays, inlets, and long creeks, which 
wind towards the base of the mountains, as if pur- 



186 

posely to receive the streams which rush through 
the glens, and conduct their waters in silence and 
tranquillity to the lake. Of these inlets, the largest 
and most beautiful is that called Newfoundland, at 
the eastern extremity of the lake. The entrance into 
it lies through a narrow pass defended by two vast 
perpendicular rocks ; on passing which an extensive 
basin suddenly opens to view, bearing the appearance 
of a fourth lake. On the right of this inlet rises a 
steep overshadowing cliff, clothed with straggling 
trees j masses of bleak rocks bound it on the oppo- 
site side, and in the centre appears a wood of oaks, 
out of which issues a river accessible for some way in 
a boat. An irregular path winds along its banks, 
between trees where thick foliage confines the view, 
until, at the end of about half a mile, a space sudden- 
ly opens, discovering some cottages surrounded by a 
few small enclosures. The sound of falling water now 
strikes the ear ; and, on turning the eye towards the 
mountain, a beautiful cascade is seen over the trees 
at the head of a deep glen. It is scarcely in the 
power of imagination to conceive a more romantic 
retreat. No vestige of human industry appears be- 
yond the precincts of this little hamlet ; woods and 
mountains surround it ; and the inhabitants seem to- 
tally cut off from the society of their fellow-creatures. 
Nor is the retreat less remote in reality from the busy 
scenes of life than it appears to be : the plough has 



187 

never left the traces of its furrows on this vale ; the 
soil is turned with the spade 5 and the produce, if 
more than sufficient for the maintenance of the 
humble cultivators, is conveyed away on horses, by a 
craggy path which winds along the borders of the 
stream. 

The inlet which receives the river of Derricunnihy 
under the Coffin point, also displays a very wild and 
romantic scene. The cascade on this river, both in 
beauty and in size, far exceeds every other on the 
confines of Killarney. From the lake it lies conceal- 
ed, being situated in the depths of a thick wood ; 
neither can it be approached without much difficulty, 
owing to the numerous rocks and thick entangled 
underwood. The water, where it is first seen, gushes 
out between two rocks at a great height up the moun- 
tain ; and, after falling about thirty feet, spreads to 
a wide extent on each side, sparkling between the 
foliage and the stones, so that each tree and each 
rock seems to yield a living spring. These innumer- 
able rills unite again, and are collected in a basin 
deeply excavated in the rock ; from which, making 
a second sudden descent through a contracted chan- 
nel, the water falls in a sheet of white foam, and loses 
itself in the woods below, where it again falls, and 
rushes on through a rocky channel into the lake. 

The view, in which the reeks appear capped with 



188 

clouds, is taken from the head of this inlet, near the 
Coffin point. 

To enter into a description of every bay and inlet, 
of every glen and cascade, on this delightful and ro- 
mantic lake, would only fatigue the reader. The 
powers of language are inadequate to give an exact 
notion of such scenes. Rocks, woods, mountains, 
rivers, distinctly as the imagination may paint them, 
yet in reality will generally be found to present a 
very different aspect from the conceptions which 
were formed from a mere verbal description. The 
assistance of the pencil is absolutely necessary to con- 
vey any thing like an accurate notion of them ; but 
it was found incompatible with the plan of this work 
to insert a greater number of engravings. 

It has often been a question, which of the three 
divisions of the lake of Killarney was the most inte- 
resting ; and opinions have been very much divided 
on the subject. To those who delight in landscapes 
of a wild and romantic cast, in the gloomy mountain 
and hollow glen, the upper lake will unfold scenery 
unrivalled by any on the other divisions, or perhaps 
in any other part of the island. But its shores dis- 
play none of those extraordinary contrasts which are 
observable on the lower lake between the verdant 
lawn and rugged heath, the graceful grove and en- 
tangled forest-— ail is one continued scene of savage 



189 

wildness. To hazard an opinion, says an anonymous 
writer, the prevailing character of Killarney is variety, 
the second, beauty ; magnificence is subordinate. 

If these attributes were to be divided amongst the 
three lakes, whatever there is of magnificence in the 
scene, might, perhaps, be allotted with propriety to 
the upper lake, on account of the height and gran- 
deur of the adjacent mountains. Things are great or 
small only by comparison ; and although the moun- 
tains of Kerry, compared with those of Switzerland, 
which the anonymous writer appears to have had in 
view, sink very low in the scale, yet the reeks, owing 
to their contiguity to the lake, produce a more su- 
blime effect than loftier mountains would do in a less 
favourable situation. 

It has also been a question, which of the three lakes 
was the most picturesque ; and if this wa« to be de- 
termined by the views which are commonly selected 
by artists, the far greater numbers which are drawn 
from the scenery of the great lower lake would at 
once determine the point. But the facility of visit- 
ing this part of Killarney, and of procuring subjects 
for the pencil, may, perhaps, in some measure, ac- 
count for the prevailing choice. The remoteness of 
the upper lake, and the difficulty of getting to it, the 
uncertainty of the climate, and the want of accom- 
modation on its confines, preclude most strangers 
from examining it thoroughly. It is only indeed by a 



192 



SECTION IIL 



Magillicuddy's reeks are generally supposed to be 
the most lofty mountains in Ireland ; although their 
exact height does not appear to have been ascertain- 
ed. The celebrated Mr Kirwan made several baro- 
metrical observations both on them and on other 
mountains in the vicinity of Killarney ; from which 
he concluded, as he informed me, that the reeks were 
at least three thousand feet in height: but at the 
same time he added, that his experiments were not 
sufficiently numerous fully to satisfy his own mind on 
the subject. A gentleman resident near Killarney 
gave me, from memory, a computation of their 
height, derived from a different source ; according to 
which, their most elevated point was only one hun- 
dred and fifty feet lower than Snowdown. The lat- 
ter mountain is somewhat less than six hundred fa- 
thoms high J pursuant to the most generally received 
calculation, three thousand five hundred and sixty- 
eight feet. This measurement, therefore, would leave 
the height of the reeks at three thousand four hun- 




(a/oc Cleai-I. 



Zonalon, J^udiLrAed Jbnuacr j-':'iS22 lirZon^mart & CTalerJSrostefJRov. 



M 
th 

65 

ec 
m 
m 
he 
at 
sa 
su 
tl 

S< 
h< 

w 

di 

te 
tt 



tl 



193 

tired and eighteen feet, which rather exceeds what 
Mr Kirwan supposed it to be : I suspect, however, 
that that gentleman did not direct his observations 
to the most lofty point. He told me it was his prac- 
tice to remain below, on one of the islands in the 
lake, whilst his assistant ascended the mountain ; and 
that they corresponded from time to time by means 
of signals and telescopes. Now on Gheraun-tuel, the 
highest peak, this would have been impracticable, as 
no part of it is visible from the lake. I should sup- 
pose that this mountain rises at least two hundred 
feet above the other peaks. 

Being in company with some friends, who, like my- 
self, were desirous of ascending the most lofty moun- 
tain in the country, we procured guides for that pur- 
pose ; and, under their direction, crossed the lower 
lake to Benson's point, where we landed. From this 
place we proceeded to Dunloh gap, and, having ad- 
vanced into it to the distance of half a mile, began 
to ascend the mountain on our right hand. It pro- 
ved extremely difficult of access, and in many parts 
so steep, that, without the aid of the sapling oaks 
which spring from their fissures, it would have been 
impossible to scale the rocks. On the summit of this 
mountain we found an extensive tract of ground, less 
encumbered with rocks than the valley below, and co- 
vered, as far as the eye could see, with heath and 
coarse grass, on which innumerable herds of cattle 

N 



194 

were fed. Beyond it appeared another mountain ex- 
tremely rugged, which we reached at the end of two 
hours. The ascent was not steep ; but it was labori.. 
ous and tedious, owing to the immense heaps of loose 
stones in some places, and the deep rents in the rocks 
in others ; which last could not be passed without the 
utmost caution. Along this part of the route the only 
animals we observed were eagles, of which numbers 
hovered above us, as if alarmed at the invasion of 
their lofty solitudes : at one moment we counted no 
less than twelve of them within gun-shot. 

The craggy tops of the reeks appeared on reaching 
the summit of this latter mountain ; and after walk- 
ing for about an hour over a rugged way, nearly si- 
milar to that which we had already traversed, we 
gained one of their loftiest pinnacles, which our 
guides told us was Gheraun-tuel. 

It is scarcely possible to convey an idea of the su- 
blime view which was now unfolded to our eyes. On 
each side lay a vast precipice, beyond which arose 
other immense mountains : still further on we saw 
the Atlantic ocean bounding the horizon for a great 
distance ; and, in the opposite direction, a wide ex- 
panse of the inland country, watered by innumerable 
rivers and lakes, amongst which that of Killarney wa^ 
only conspicuous for its superior extent. One of the 
peaks before us seemed to be considerably more lofty 
than that which we had ascended 5 but the guide* 



195 

persisted in assuring us that the appearance was de- 
ceptive ; and that if from any third station we could 
compare its elevation with that of the point on which 
we then stood, the superior height of the latter would 
be obvious. The intervening precipices were impass- 
able ; as it was out of our power, therefore, to make 
the trial, we were satisfied to receive this intelligence 
as conviction ; and perhaps none of us, after so much 
fatigue, were willing to entertain a doubt of having 
attained the object of our laborious undertaking. 

The mountain which we had ascended resembled 
the shape of a wedge ; and, at the summit, presented 
a long craggy ridge, so narrow, that, whilst we stood 
upon it, we could look into the depths of the preci- 
pices at either side, or drop pebbles into them from 
each hand at the same moment. The ridge consist- 
ed, for the most part, of sharp siliceous rocks, seated 
on sloping layers or strata of soft argillaceous schis- 
tus and sandstone, which are both very liable to de- 
composition ; and as these latter substances are moul- 
dered away by the incessant action of the mists and 
vapours which prevail in these high regions of the 
air, the siliceous rocks become undermined : we 
found several of them apparently ready to fall on the 
first shock. Fortunately there are no habitations 
within their reach, or the mischief to be apprehended 
from their descent would be truly alarming. From 
the guides who accompanied us we learned that large 



196 

masses of rocks frequently rolled down the mountain 
after the snow began to dissolve. Their effect was 
described as extremely awful ; whole herds of cattle 
being sometimes overwhelmed by their fall. From 
these circumstances it is obvious that the height of 
the reeks must be gradually decreasing. 

During our progress we overturned several loose 
stones on the edge of the precipice, where no dan- 
ger was to be apprehended from their fall. In their 
course downwards they carried with them many of 
Jarger size ; and presently we could distinguish a 
huge heap in motion at a vast distance below us. It 
was at first a source of surprise that no noise was 
heard from the mutual concussions of these ponder- 
ous masses, when they could so plainly be perceived 
tumbling down the sides of the mountain ; but in a 
few seconds it was dispelled by a sudden and tremen- 
dous crash like the roar of thunder, which was echoed 
for a long time from mountain to mountain ; and, af- 
ter the sound had gradually died away in the upper 
regions, it a second time burst from the depths of the 
abyss. 

The large rocks of this mountain are formed of a 
grauwacke, similar to that found on the banks of the 
lake ; and they are commonly intersected by thick 
veins of quartz : in the interstices we found some 
beautiful groups of small rock crystals. Large and 
brilliant pieces of the same substance are found iu 



197 

other parts of Kerry, particularly, as I am informed, 
on the mountains near Tralee : coarse amethysts also 
abound there. 

We descended the reeks by a different route from 
that by which we went up ; and, having arrived at 
the base, found ourselves in a valley at the head of 
the upper lake. Soon afterwards we joined a party 
who awaited our arrival, at a cottage situated at Car- 
riguline, on the banks of a river which affords the 
chief supply of water to the lake. 

Here, on recounting the adventures of the day, 
and boasting of having been on the highest ground 
in Ireland, an old grey-headed man, who stood by, 
expressed some doubts of the fact ; adding, that, if 
we had really been on the most lofty point of the 
reeks, it would have been impossible for us to have 
returned before night. We appealed to our guides, 
who, jealous of their reputation, of course confirmed 
our story. To put this matter beyond doubt, how- 
ever, the old man requested us to come to the door 
and point out the mountain we had ascended. The 
reeks rose in full view before the cottage, and we 
could easily trace our route to the most lofty peak. 
This was sufficient to confirm his first supposition. 
Gheraun-tuel, he told us, was much higher than any 
of the other points, and was neither visible from the 
valley in which we stood, nor from any part of the 
lake of Killarney. It was to no purpose tliat the 



198 

guides maintained the contrary : the evidence of our 
own senses had abeady impeached their knowledge, 
and their ignorance of the country was now proved 
by the concurrent testimony of several mountaineers. 

The difficulty of ascending Gheraun-tuel was re- 
presented to us as very great, and no stranger, we 
were told, had ever attempted it. This was but an 
additional incentive to undertake the enterprise ; and 
the old man having offered his son as a guide, the 
next day but one was appointed for the expedition. 

We left the town of Killarney at five in the morn-, 
ing, and proceeded to Ross castle, where a boat at- 
tended to convey us to the head of the upper lake. 
We found the guide at the appointed place, seated 
on a rock and watching for our arrival : no time, he 
said, was to be lost j and we instantly set out at a 
quick pace. The path lay through an extensive val- 
ley, watered by a chain of small lakes, and a river 
which connected them together. There was some^ 
thing in the character of this feature that recalled to 
our recollection the gap of Dunloh : but the scenery 
was here much tamer ; and was rather to be admired 
for the delightful verdure of the peaceful and retired 
meads, than for the boldness of the rocks or the 
height and abruptness of the impending precipices, 
Several other valleys branched off to the right and 
left, into one of the former of which we turned, after 
prpq^eding about four iiiiles 5 but did not begin tq 



199 

ascend the heights until we had advanced to a consi- 
derable distance further. The first mountain we came 
to, though exceedingly steep, was not difficult of as- 
cent, as the rocks were few, and the ground on which 
we trod dry and firm. On the summit was a vast 
plain covered with coarse grass, beyond which, in 
the distance, appeared the conical head of Gheraun- 
tuel ; but we had walked at least four or five miles 
along the plain before we saw more of the mountain. 
A full view of it at last opened from the brink of 
a tremendous precipice, whose depth we could not 
then discover. It rose with great regularity in the 
form of a cone, and, to appearance, stood quite insu- 
lated, except on the nearest side, where it was con- 
nected with the mountain on which we stood by a 
sort of spur, forming an isthmus, and bearing a re- 
semblance, though on a scale of such great magni- 
tude, to the artificial approach to an old castle. At 
the height from which we viewed it, this pass did not 
seem to be wider than might be sufficient for a single 
carriage ; and though, on descending, we found it at 
least sixty feet broad, yet the immense depth and 
great abruptness of the precipices d-t each side, so 
imposed on the senses, that we could scarcely per- 
suade ourselves of being in perfect safety in its very 
centre. Here, however, we halted, at once to admire 
the sublimity of the scene, and to take some refresh- 
ment and repose. From this place to the summit 



200 

the distance did not appear to be very great, as the 
^lope, owing to our contiguity to the mountain, was 
fore-shortened ; but, though we advanced with ar^ 
dour, and the way, except being very steep, was not 
incommodious, we did not arrive at the top until an 
Jiour and a half after we set out, 

Gheraun-tuel is formed of grey hornstone, or 
chert ; hornslate, quartz, feldspar, and pale red por- 
phyry. Towards the summit the stones were all split 
into small flags ; but they had no tendency to divide 
into thinner fragments, and broke more readily across 
than in any other direction : they were extremely 
hard and tough, and exhibited no appearance of de- 
composition. The top of the mountain presented a 
smooth area nearly circular, about thirty feet in di^ 
ameter, from which there was an uniform slope on 
every side. Hence we had a distinct view of Dingle 
bay, and of the whole coast between it and the river 
Shannon ; and, in the opposite direction, of Kenmare 
river, Bantry bay, and the great estuaries of the 
south-western coast. The inland view was less inte- 
resting than from the other points of the reeks, as 
but few lakes could be distinguished, and the beauty 
and variety of the ground beneath was lost in the im- 
mensity of the distance. We soon recognised, from 
this place, the peaks which we had ascended two 
days before j and, as they appeared much below us.* 



201 

it was obvious that we had at last gained that eleva- 
tion to which we had with so much toil aspired. 

While we gazed with wonder upon this stupendous 
scene, our guide, pointing to the bay of Dingle, began 
a long history of a hero of the name of Shee. How he 
was tempted with treasures by the devil, and induced 
to swim after them from the shore ; when, to his sur- 
prise and disappointment, instead of a rich prize, he 
was deluded by a white sheet that floated on the wa^ 
ter, in which being soon entangled, he was dragged 
to the bottom of the sea ; since which time no per- 
son of his name had ever been able to cross the bay 
in safety : but, before he had half finished a narrative 
which to him appeared very important, the intensity 
of the cold made us prepare for taking leave of this 
elevated region. Desirous, however, before we de- 
scended, of leaving some memorial of our presence, 
we collected a number of large stones, and erected a 
pyramid on the summit of the mountain, which yet 
perhaps bids defiance to the storms. 

Having arrived once more at the isthmus, or con- 
necting ridge, we were informed that there were two 
routes by which the mountain might be descended. 
The first was so long that it was doubtful if we could 
accomplish it before night ; the other was shorter, 
but somewhat hazardous. The preference was given 
to the latter j and, after a short progress, we were 



202 

conducted to a precipice, at least sixty feet deep, 
down which we were told it was necessary to take 
our course. The proposal startled us, nor did we 
conceive how it was practicable ; but the guide, seat- 
ing himself at the brink of it, on a rock which pre- 
sented an even face nearly to the bottom of the pre- 
cipice, slid down it, taking the precaution, however^ 
to impede the velocity of the descent by catching 
hold of the tufts of long grass which grew from the 
crevices at each side. His example was followed 
without hesitation ; and, having accelerated our de- 
scent down the steepest part of the mountain, by 
sliding over other rocks of a similar description, w^e 
soon reached the bottom. We found our horses on 
the banks of a river, where orders had previously 
been given that they should be brought ; and at ten 
at night we arrived in the town of Killarney, after an 
absence of seventeen hours ; during the whole of 
which time we had only enjoyed one of repose. 

Of the other mountains in the vicinity of Killar- 
ney, Mangerton,* which lies to the south-east of 
Turk, approaches the nearest to the elevation of the 
reeks. According to the computation given me by 
the gentleman before alluded to, this mountain is 
only seven hundred feet lower than the reeks ; but 
Mr Kirwan informed me, that, from his measurement, 

* S^^ the view of Ross castle, and the description. 



203 

it did not appear to be more than two thousand feet 
high. It is somewhat singular, therefore, that this 
mountain should have been esteemed, for a long time, 
the most lofty in Ireland. Dr Smith ranks it as such 
in his History of Kerry, though he acknowledges that 
its appearance would lead to a different conclusion. 
<« MagiUicuddy's reeks," says he, " seem higher to 
the eye ; but most hills which are conical, and termi- 
nating in points, appear higher, at a distance, than 
those mountains which have a large surface on their 
tops. They are steeper than Mangerton, and have 
more terrible precipices and declivities, so that it was 
in a manner impossible to determine their height by 
a barometer." The preceding pages demonstrate 
how much the Doctor was mistaken, if he supposed 
they were inaccessible. 

There is a road, or rather path, to the very summit 
of Mangerton, which renders the ascent easy ; few 
strangers therefore neglect seeing it. The horses of 
the country are better adapted than any others for 
the excursion, being remarkably sure-footed, and ac- 
customed to the steepness and ruggedness of the 
way. A very extensive view opens from the summit, 
particularly in the direction of Kenmare river ; but 
neither the Atlantic ocean or the coast are seen to 
so much advantage as from Magillicuddy's reeks. 
The great object of curiosity on this mountain, which 
induces so many to encounter the toil of the ascent. 



204 

is a lake situated within three hundred feet of its 
summit, called the Devil's Punch-bowl, which the na- 
tives pretend is unfathomable ; and its depth, I be- 
lieve, is very great. It is chiefly remarkable for the 
clearness and intense coldness of the water. 

A story is current at Killarney, that the late cele-» 
brated Mr Fox swam entirely round this lake, and 
made a prophetic boast that no one would afterwards 
be found to perform the same feat. A party, when 
I first visited Killarney, set out with a determination 
to accept of the challenge ; but being extremely 
overheated by a walk up the mountain in one of the 
hottest days of summer, the adventure, after a short 
experience of the piercing coldness of the water, was 
abandoned, as too perilous. The guides still inform 
strangers that no one has, either before or since, dis- 
played the same prowess as Mr Fox. 

The summit of Mangerton displays an immense 
plain, covered with coarse grass and heath, amongst 
which scarcely a rock is to be seen. The surface 
consists of a spongy substance, very like a bog, which 
in some places is easily penetrable with a stick to a 
great depth. So great is the extent of this plain, and 
so frequent the recurrence of fogs and mists, that it 
is not unusual for people to lose their way whilst tra- 
versing it ; and, after night-fall, it is thought safer to 
remain on the mountain than to encounter the precis 
pices by which it is environed. I was once with sv 



205 

party which had been shooting on the mountains be- 
yond Mangerton, and, in the way back to Killarney, 
had to cross this plain. On advancing, the air be-* 
came obscure ; and, at last, such dense vapours en- 
veloped us, that it was impossible to distinguish an 
object at the distance of a few yards. Under these 
pircumstances we continued to walk, for more than 
two hours, over an unvaried surface, where no track 
whatsoever was visible ; our guide still asserting that 
he was leading us home by the shortest possible 
route. The mist soon penetrated our clothes, and 
we began to experience all the inconvenience of wet 
and cold, when the guide, suddenly stopping, took 
off his coat, turned it inside out, and again delibe- 
rately put it on. We marvelled very much at this 
extraordinary proceeding, and his reluctance to give 
a satisfactory reply to our inquiries into the motives 
of it, served but to excite still greater curiosity. At 
last, being pressed for an explanation, he acknow- 
ledged that he was totally ignorant of our situation, 
and had turned his coat as a charm of potent influence 
to enable a lost man to recover his way. The intelli- 
gence was unwelcome : the day was fast approaching 
to a close, and there was danger of our taking the very 
opposite course to that which ought to be followed. 
In this predicament, therefore, the party halted, and 
a council was held to consider of the best means of 
delivering ourselves from this dreary solitude. It was 



206 

unnecessary to deliberate long. At our feet a rill is* 
sued from the ground ; and, as it was obvious that 
it must run down the mountain, in some direction, 
we determined at once to be guided by its course. 
Never did navigator, in quest of unknown regions, 
follow with more ardent expectation the windings of 
a river, than did we the meanders of this little stream. 
Sometimes dividing into several branches, we were 
left in doubt which to pursue : but they seldom con- 
tinued long separate, and, on uniting, each one ap- 
peared to bring with it an additional supply of wa- 
ter. The size of the stream thus increasing, confi- 
dence kept pace with our progress. At last it swell- 
ed to a considerable river, and was heard at a dis- 
tance, roaring amongst rocks. Just at this moment 
the dark cloud which had enveloped us, caught by a 
sudden gust of wind, rose like a vast curtain, and re- 
vealed a stupendous scene, of whose aw^ful sublimity 
no time can obliterate the recollection. We found 
ourselves on the brink of a tremendous gulph, whose 
depth was concealed by the gloom ; but down whose 
precipitous and rocky sides the water, which had con- 
ducted us, tumbled in a torrent. The opposite side 
of the gulph, as far as v/e could trace it, seemed to 
consist of a perpendicular face of solid rock, for many 
hundred feet, and in v/hatever direction we turned 
our eyes, nought could be perceived but " Wilds im- 
measureably spread." We contemplated the preci* 



^07 

pice with mingled emotions of hope and fear ; doubt- 
ful whether it would be possible to descend at this 
place, and having no alternative, if baffled in the at- 
tempt, but to pass the night upon the mountain. 

The way downward was rugged in the extreme. It 
was with difficulty, indeed, we could force a passage 
through the briers and tall heath ; and the sudden 
breaks in the rocks would have been an effectual bar 
to our progress, had it not been for the occasional 
assistance we derived from the branches of sapling 
oaks which shot from the crags, by means of which 
we lowered ourselves from steep to steep. At last, 
after much labour, and nearly exhausted with fatigue, 
we reached the bottom, and found ourselves in a ro- 
mantic and beautiful glen, through which the stream 
that, for a considerable time past, had only been 
heard among the shades, tumbling over rocks, was 
now seen gliding over a bed of pebbles, bounded on 
each side by delightful verdant banks. The glen wi- 
dened as we advanced, and, at the distance of a mile, 
terminated on the confines of a spacious lake. 

This place is about six miles distant from Killar- 
ney, and is called, I believe, the Glen of the Horse ; 
probably from the excellence of its pastures. The 
lake is known by the name of Lough Etaun. It is 
upwards of a mile in length, of an oval form, and 
contains some beautiful islands. Besides this lake, 
there are several others on the same side of Manger- 



2Dg 

toiij all of which contribute, by connecting stream^,, 
to supply the great lake of Killarney. They all claim 
the attention of the traveller : some of them, which 
are closely surrounded by vast precipices, are objects 
of great curiosity. 

Mangerton affords a more extensive variety of mi- 
neral productions than I observed on any of the other 
mountains. Besides the different siliceous stones 
which abound in the country, it contains several 
sorts of argillaceous schistus, particularly towards the 
summit, in the vicinity of the Punch-bowl ; the schis- 
tus, which is of a yellowish colour, is much decom- 
posed, and separates into minute splinters. In the 
excavations which have been made by torrents lower 
down the mountain, large pieces of novaculite are 
found, bedded in yellow clay, which are sought for 
with avidity, and used by the people of the country 
as whet-stones. Some specimens are found of a very 
fine grain, which are considered applicable to the ni- 
cest purposes. Iron is very abundant, particularly 
the argillaceous upland ore, and brown and red iron^ 
stone ; the latter are described as the sorts that were 
most commonly manufactured in Kerry. I have found 
on this mountain also some very beautiful specimens 
of specular iron ore adhering to quartz. No calca-* 
reous matter is any where observable on it. 

The other mountains which lie in the vicinity of 

Killarney are considerably lower than Mangerton, 

2 



209 

The relative heights of Tomies, Turk, and Glena, 
are nearly in the order in which they are mentioned ; 
and of those on the confines of the upper lake, the 
Purple-mountain and the Sugar-loaf are the next, I be- 
lieve, in magnitude to the Reeks. Of all these the 
geological character appears nearly the same as that 
of Manger ton and the Reeks : the former affords a 
greater variety of minerals ; but in none of the 
mountains around the lake have any substances of 
peculiar interest been discovered. 

Of the plants of this country I am unable to give 
any account from my own observation. Doctor Wade, 
M.L.S., professor of botany to the Dublin Society, 
&c., in a list of indigenous plants, which are rather 
rare and valuable in Ireland, enumerates the follow- 
ing amongst those which he has found at Killarney 
and in the vicinity :* 

Arbutus unedo ------ stravoherry-tree. 

Asplenium adiantura nigrum - - black maiden-hair. 

— — - — trichomanes - - - common ditto^ 

Bartsia viscosa ------ viscous bartsia, 

Betonica officinalis ----- ijcood-betony. 

Bryum laterale ------ lateral bryum* 

Buxbaumia foliosa ----- leafy Buxbaumia* 

— aphylla ----- leafless ditto. 

Carex pulicaris ------ Jlea-seg, 

■ curta ------- ixihite ditto. 



Transactions of the Dublin Society, 1804. 
O 



210 

Carex distans - loose Jlea-Segj 

Crataegus Aria - - - ^- - - >i\)hite heam-tree:. 

Euphorbia hibernica - - ^ - Irish spurgt. 

Empetrum nigrum --..-- black cro'w-herry^ 

Festuca vivipara - - - ^ - viviparous fescue-grass. 

Fontinalis antipyretica - - - - greater water-moss, 

_. — squamosa - - - - scali/ ditto, 

Gnaphalium margaritaceum - - eiierlasting pea. 

Geranium lucidum - - - ^ - shining crane's-bill 

Hedypnois Taraxaci - - - - alpine hedypnois, 

Hieracium sabaudum - - - - shrubby-leaved ha^Jcmed, 

Hypnum attenuatum - - - - slender hypnum, 

. : intricatum - - - - matted ditto, 

^- polyanthos - - - - Schreber ditto, 

Juncus campestris var. |3. 

■ trifidus ------ three-leaved rush* 

Juniperus communis - - - - common juniper, 

Jungermannia asplenioides - - spleentvort Jungermannia. 

_. bisctispidata - - forked ditto. 

Lichen crenulatus - - -.- - little crenate lichen. 

^floridus fowery ditto. 

. furcatus - - - - - - forked ditto. 

,. globiferus - « - - - globe ditto. 

^ horizontah's - - - - brotvn horizontal ditfo'^ 

._— islandicus ----- Iceland ditto. 

, ,— paschalis crisp ditto, 

, — plicatus - stringy ditto. 

-__- polyrrhizos dusky rock lichen. 

^ ^_ pubescens - - - - - pubescent ditto. 

, pustulatus ----- blistered ditto. 

« resupinatus ----- reversed diffo. 

„>__ scrobiculatus - - ^ - pitted ditto. 

Lobelia Dortmanna - - - - mter Lobelia* 



211 



Lycopodium selago - - - - fir cluh-moss^ 

Marchantia hemispherica - - - hemispherical Marchantia* 
Mentha arvensis. 
. — hirsuta var. h (Smith) 

pulegium - - ^ - - 'pennyroyal, 

Mnium glaucum ----- glaucous mnium* 

pseudo-triquetrum. ■* - 

Osmunda regalis ----- Jlotxieringjern. 

Polypodium dryopteris - - - thrice-branched polypody, 

• fragile ----- jlne-leaved brittle ditto* 

— 1 fragrans - - - - sweet polypody, 

Polytrichum aloides - - - - dvoarf polytrichum, 

Rhamnus catharticus - - - - purging bucMhorik 

Rhodeola rosea ------ rosexjoort^ 

Rubus idaeus ------ raspberry, 

. saxatilis ------ stone-bramble*. 

Rubia peregrina ----- ijoild madder* 

Saxifraga stellaris ----- hairy saxifrage, 

, umbrosa ----- London pride. 

Scirpus fluitans - - -^ - - - floating club-moss, 

Sorbus aucuparia ----- mountain ash, 

Serapias latifolia ----- broad-leaved helleborine. 
Thymus serpyllum. 
Trichomanes Tunbridgense - - tunbridge gbldiloch. 

Wild and dreary as the vast region of mountains on 
the western side of the county of Kerry appears to 
be, it boasts, nevertheless, of a numerous and hardy 
population. The chief occupation of the people is 
pasturage ; and, from the milk of their herds, a large 
portion of that excellent butter is produced which is 
exported from Cork and Limerick to every quarter 



212 

of the globe.* The habitations are generally situated 
in valleys ; but it is somewhat remarkable that they 
seldom stand in such a number together as to form 
what might be termed a hamlet, although the people 
are universally of an open cheerful disposition, fond 
of conversation, and devoted to hospitable associa- 
tions. 

The land is held not by the acre ; for, in these 
mountains, such minute divisions are of little impor- 
tance ; but, according to the language of the coun- 
try, hy the lump ; that is, by large tracts : and, after 
an agreement has been made with the landlord for 
their respective shares, it is usual for many different 
families to form a partnership, and make a joint con- 
cern of their several farms. Where pasturage alone is 
followed, great benefit accrues to the little commu- 
nity from this practice. It saves the labour and ex- 
pense of multiplied superintendence ; it excites at- 
tention to the general interest, and prevents disputes 
that would otherwise arise concerning boundaries, 
where the benefit to be derived from their existence 
is not adequate to the cost of their erection. Each 



* The butter of Kerry is amongst the best of the island. It is a 
well-known fact, that much of it is remade in London ; and, depri- 
ved of its salt, is sold in that city as the produce of Epping : many 
a worthy citizen, who would spurn at the idea of breakfasting, upon 
the produce of the Irish mountains, devours it, unconscious of its 
origin. 



213 

man, in proportion to the computed extent of his 
land, is permitted to maintain a certain number of 
cattle J and, in many instances, where the parties 
have confidence in each other, they make a joint 
stock both of their kine and their produce. 

This country was formerly remarkable for a very 
small and beautiful breed of black cattle ; but the 
people have been seized with tlie spirit of improve- 
ment, and the true Kerry cow, as it is called, is now 
rarely to be found, excepting amongst the mountains 
in the vicinity of Ban try-bay. The size of this animal 
does not exceed that of an ordinary yearling calf. 
From the prevalent inclination of the people to dis- 
card the native stock of their hills, it is, presumed 
that they derive more profit from the enlarged breed : 
but there are some of a contrary opinion, who still 
maintain their attachment to the ancient race, and 
who contend that, from their hardy character, and the 
abundance and richness of their milk, they are pecu- 
liarly adapted to the situation and circumstances of 
the country. 

Immense herds of goats are likewise fed in these 
mountains, whose milk is chiefly used by the peasants 
for their domestic purposes, as it yields only an in- 
different sort of butter, for which there is no demand 
in the export market. The rambling disposition of 
these animals, for they sometimes spread over the 
whole side of a mountain, covering it with white 



214 

dots, would be productive of considerable inconve- 
nience to the owners, were it not for the assistance 
they derive from dogs. We were much entertained, 
one evening, at seeing a woman deliberately come 
forth from a cottage with her pails to milk a herd, 
which was dispersed over an extent of some miles. 
She cast her eye around, to discover on which moun- 
tain they were browsing *, and then, pointing them 
out to two little dogs, sat patiently down on a stone 
to wait their arrival. The dogs, who were well ac- 
quainted with this business, ran off at full speed ; 
and presently we could distinguish the whole herd in 
motion, and, assembling into one body, move briskly 
down the mountain. A few that seemed refractory 
were soon compelled to obedience ; and, in less than 
half an hour, they all stood around the door of the 
cottage. The herbage of the mountains is but [ill 
adapted to sheep ; and, in some places, is said to be 
absolutely poisonous. The few which are fed are of 
a diminutive size. We bought one, when encamped 
on a shooting party, w^hich was esteemed fat, for half- 
a-giiinea ; and they are sometimes sold at a still low- 
er price : the mutton is of very delicious flavour. 

The valleys between the mountains, in general, 
contain a soil, capable, if properly cultivated, of 
yielding abundant crops ^ but the inhabitants, insen- 
sible of its real value, are satisfied with tilling small 
patches near their dwellings, sufficient to produce 



215 

some oats or potatoes, which, with milk, constitute 
their chief food. A very scanty portion of it is al- 
lotted for meadow; the hay which is necessary for 
the winter being procured, for the most part, from 
the mountains, where it is collected from various 
little spots, on which the grass, from being sheltered 
by rocks, or from growing on a drier soil, is found 
to be luxuriant. It is common for a man, in the sea- 
son, to traverse the side of a mountain with a scythe, 
and cut the grass perhaps from fifty small patches, 
which, when accumulated together, does not produce 
one ton of hay. The excellence of the grass in these 
dry parts is a certain indication of the great advan- 
tage which might be derived from drains, as they might 
easily be cut. Indeed, in various parts of this moun- 
tainous region, there are immense tracts which now 
yield only a coarse herbage for cattle, that might, 
and which probably one day will, be devoted to tilL 
age, and produce food for thousands of human beings. 
The great impediment to the improvement of this 
country is the want of carriage-roads, which prevents 
the mountaineers, without much labour and expense, 
from bringing lime to their little farms, the great 
source of fertility in this soil. At present all traffic is 
carried on by means of horses ; but although these 
animals, from long habit, can traverse the mountain- 
ous regions with a boldness and dexterity unknown 
to the more valuable and high-bred races of a culti* 



216 

vated country, yet it is frequently found necessary to 
unlade their burthens, in order to enable them to 
pass over the rocks by which the ways are obstructed. 
On a distant part of Mangerton mountain I observed 
a very narrow track, barely discernible amidst the 
heath, which I was informed was a much frequented 
horse road. Following its course, I found it was 
crossed by a ledge of steep rocks, which extended as 
far as the eye could reach on either side ; and, after- 
wards, it passed for a considerable distance along the 
brink of a precipice, where a single false step must, 
to all appearance, be productive of inevitable destruc- 
tion. Yet, intricate and dangerous as the way seem- 
ed, on reaching the foot of the mountain, when it 
was already dusk, we met a party of mountaineers, 
some of whom were intoxicated and tottering on 
their horses, riding at a smart pace, and advancing 
along this very road without the least solicitude about 
the perils they were to meet in their progress. 

The butter of this country is almost all conveyed 
to Cork by the peasants who make it ; and it is com- 
mon to meet twenty horses or more in a string, on a 
leading mountain road, each one carrying two casks. 
I was informed by a friend, that when he first visited 
Kerry, at which period improvement and civilization 
were in their infancy, it was very usual to see a cask 
of butter on one side, and a large stone on the other 
to balance it ; but it has since been discovered that 



217 

one cask is the best counterpoise to another, and 
every horse is now doubly laden. In returning from 
Cork they bring back empty casks, and such articles 
as are wanted for home consumption. 

This commerce is attended with the most benefi- 
cial effects to the country at large, as well as to this 
particular district. It supplies a valuable article of 
export, which serves to counteract the great weight 
of British manufactures and foreign goods which 
are imported ; and, if not fully sufficient to coun- 
terbalance them, at least prevents their overbear- 
ing preponderance. It opens a source of honest in- 
dependence to a hardy and intelligent race of men, 
and stimulates industry to active exertion. It assists 
also in a material degree to improve the condition of 
the people. The mountaineer no longer remains a 
secluded being, wandering amidst the wilds, and dri- 
ving his miserable kine, the associates of his life, 
from heath to heath. He descends with his rich bur- 
then into cultivated plains and peopled towns, where, 
mingling with his more polished fellow-creatures, he 
returns at once inspired with the incentives, and en- 
riched with the means, to adopt the more settled ha- 
bits of civilized life. This intercourse serves to point 
out the advantage derivable from a knowledge of the 
English language, as well as from writing and arith- 
metic ; and the establishment of the means of educa- 
tion ie a natural consequence. Amidst some of the 



2.18 

wildest mountains of Kerry, I have met with English 
schools ; and even seen multitudes of children seated 
round the humble residence of their instructor, with 
their books, pens and ink, where rocks have supplied 
the place of desks and benches. Nor is the dissemi- 
nation of domestic and foreign intelligence neglected 
in these mountains. Even in the very centre of Ive- 
ragh* th6 farmers receive newspapers ; and, at the 
commencement of the present war with Spain, I 
found the peasantry as much alive to the consequen- 
ces of a rupture with that country, as the merchant 
who, unsuspicious of danger, had inadvertently con- 
signed a rich cargo to the port of an enemy. They 
were well aware that Spain was one of the principal 
marts for the produce of their dairies ; and that, if 
the communication with that country was impeded, 
the Cork traders would make it a pretence for offer- 
ing a lower price for their commodities. 

The mountaineers of Kerry are, in general, well 
clothed ; the men, I hesitate not to say, better than 
many of the peasants of England : but the females, 
neither here nor in those parts of Ireland where, 
from the flourishing state of manufactures, and the 
great gains which attend industry, they have more 
money to spare for the embellishment of their per^ 
sons, seem to have acquired a taste for that neat and 

^ Iveragh is situated on the south side of Dingle bay. 



219 

simple dress which distinguishes the females of the 
same class in the sister isle. I have observed, how- 
ever, in some parts of the mountains of Kerry, a very 
becoming dress in common use amongst the women, 
which, like many other things in this country, is, I 
believe, of Spanish origin. It consists of a jacket of 
crimson or scarlet cloth, with long loose sleeves, 
made to fit very close round the neck and bosom, 
and fastened in front with a row of buttons. I do not 
recollect to have seen it in any other part of the coun- 
try than the barony of Iveragh, 

Fuel, that essential necessary of human life, is 
abundant throughout the mountains ; it consists of 
turf or peat, furze and heath, which last commonly 
attains the height of six feet, and bears a stem pro- 
portionably thick. 

On the whole, being well provided with food, fuel, 
and raiment, the condition of the people may, in 
many instances, be considered extremely comfort- 
able. The appearance of the habitations, which are 
rude and clumsy without, and far from cleanly with- 
in, would lead a stranger to form a very different con- 
clusion ; but comfort is a relative term, and those 
who have not acquired by long habit a relish for re- 
gularity and neatness, are not sensible of inconve- 
nience from their privation. The mountaineer who 
enters his cottage drenched with rain, fatigued with 
traversing vast heaths, or with relieving his cattle 



220 



from the perils of the precipice and morass, esteems his 
habitation comfortable in proportion to its warmth ; 
and heeds not the sooty coating of the roof, or the 
dusky colour of the scanty furniture, while he enjoys 
the fierce blaze of a huge pile of turf. That these 
people would be neat and cleanly in their general ha- 
bits, if they were once made sensible of the advanta- 
ges resulting therefrom, I have no doubt. They are 
fully aware that, to have good butter, minute clean- 
liness, and well- ventilated apartments, are essentially 
requisite ; and many of their dairies vie in these re- 
spects with the most expensive and best-regulated 
that are to be found in Great Britain. Far be it from 
me, however, to extenuate their slovenliness, and too 
general inattention to the decency of their dwellings. 
No person can be more sensible of these defects ; no 
person can wish more ardently to behold them 
amended* 

They marry at a very early age : the men com- 
monly at eighteen, the females much sooner ; and it is 
no rare occurrence to behold four generations together 
in health and vigour. The inducements to marriage 
are numerous ; the impediments few. The extent of 
the mountain-farms being, in general, great, they ad- 
mit of a division proportionate to the increase of the 
people. A habitation for the new-married couple is 
built at a trifling expense. Stones suitable for the 
purpose abound in every place 5 and it requires little 



221 



skill to heap them together in form of a wall, and 
plaster them with clay j the heath supplies materials 
for the thatch. A plot of ground is readily converted 
into a potatoe garden ; and its never-failing produce 
is generally more than adequate to the wants of the 
little family. If, to all these advantages, were to be 
added the gains arising from such domestic manufac- 
tures as are common in the north of Ireland, and 
which might well be carried on in this country, these 
people would become wealthy : but they seem con- 
tented with what they already possess ; and, attached 
to a course of life which is, comparatively, one of 
ease and indolence, they are sometimes heard to ex- 
press pity and contempt for the condition of those 
who are doomed to incessant manual labour. 

Mountaineers are commonly disposed to pride 
themselves on their superiority to the inhabitants of 
lowland countries. That they are in general more 
robust, more hardy, and more athletic, is unquestion- 
able. Exposed from their infancy to the storms and 
sudden vicissitudes of weather which usually prevail 
in elevated regions, their bodies become braced with 
vigour, and habitually inured to the inclemency of 
the seasons. In attending their herds, the common 
occupation of such people, they learn betimes to 
move with agility over rocks and rugged ground j 
and their limbs, thus exercised, acquire strength, 
without the risk of being overstrained by premature 



222 

and violent exertions. Nor is it only by their acti- 
vity and hardiness that the mountaineers are distin- 
guished ; in general, they are much more shrewd and 
intelligent than the peasants of the low country. 
Their way of life affording more leisure than that of 
the labourer, who is unceasingly employed in the 
field, extends their opportunities for conversation j 
and those of Kerry have further advantages from 
their trade, which, obliging them to travel frequently 
to Cork and Limerick, helps tQ open their minds by 
inciting inquiry and gratifying curiosity. 

The peasantry of Kerry are generally tall and well- 
proportioned. Swarthy complexions, dark eyes, and 
long black hair, are common amongst them j in which 
features some persons pretend to trace the origin of 
their race from Spain 5 and the appellation of Mile- 
sians, from Milesus, who led a colony from that 
country, is given to them : this reputed distinction 
from the other inhabitants of Ireland is eagerly main- 
tained amongst the lower orders. 

To delineate with fidelity the character and man- 
ners of any people, a long acquaintance and frequent 
communication with them are absolutely necessary : 
the observations of transitory curiosity can serve 
little purpose but the gratification of a feeling simi- 
Jar to that in which they originated. Of the moun- 
taineers of Kerry I can only say, that, during a so- 
journ of several months in the country, they appear- 



22S 

Gd to me to be a frank, honest race of men ; of a 
very independent spirit ; acute in understanding ; 
and friendly and hospitable towards strangers. In my 
various intercourse with them, I met with but pne in- 
stance that contradicted this character. It occurred 
in the vicinity of Lough-scald, amongst the hills on 
the north side of the bay of Dingle, where, though 
we gave the people a pecuniary recompense for the 
liberty they had allowed us of pitching our tents and 
grazing our horses for two nights, exceeding, in a 
three-fold proportion, the annual value of the whole 
field we occupied, and probably as much exceeding 
also their first expectations as it did the value of what 
we received ; yet, tempted by avarice, they pretend- 
ed that we had not given them half enough ; and, as 
our interpreters told us, (for they spoke Irish) abused 
us extremely for intruding amongst them. On the 
opposite side of the bay of Dingle, among the moun- 
tains of Iveragh, w^here we had spent the preceding 
week, a similar recompense was received with such 
gratitude, that the owner of the field, and two of his 
companions, followed our horses and baggage up- 
wards of sixteen miles, for the sole purpose of assist- 
ing in pitching our tents, and endeavouring to pro- 
vide us with comfortable quarters in another part of 
the country. Of this man we heard an anecdote 
which deserves to be recorded. In another age, his 



224 

heroism would have entitled him to a eivic crown 5 
and, in this, where pecuniary compensations are so 
commonly substituted in lieu of ideal honours, it was 
rewarded with a purse of one hundred guineas from 
the underwriters. 

A large vessel, during a tempestuous night, had 
been wrecked in the bay of Dingle. In the morning, 
before the storm had yet subsided, her remains were 
seen at a distance from shore, on an insulated bank of 
sand, so situated that no boat could approach, while 
the depth and breadth of the water which flowed 
round the bank precluded three unfortunate suffer- 
ers, who still adhered to the wreck, from attempting 
to reach the shore. Their signals of distress were 
distinctly seen by crowds of people, who gazed on 
them from the beach with all the anxiety attending a 
conscious incapacity to rescue them from their im- 
pending fate. Our hero, however, conceived a pro- 
ject which he executed with all the promptitude of 
zealous humanity. He hastened to his farm, seized 
one of his stoutest horses, and, having striped him- 
self naked, mounted the animal and rushed into the 
waves. The first victim within his reach was placed 
on the horse behind him, and he returned to the shore 
in triumph. The success with which the achieve- 
ment was performed augmented his confidence and 
courage. A second attempt bore off a second man ; 



225 

nor did his exertions relax, amidst all the multiplied 
perils of the storm, until he had landed the despair- 
ing remnant of the crew in safety on the shore. 

Greeted on his success with the loudest acclama- 
tions, a general spirit of sympathy, in behalf of the 
sufferers thus rescued, seemed to pervade the breasts 
of the beholders. Eat, alas! there were some present 
whose outward emotions but ill accorded wdth their 
former conduct ; for to their depravity alone was to 
be ascribed the melancholy catastrophe of the ship- 
WTeck. The ship was homeward-bound from Suri- 
nam, with a rich cargo, and, on the appearance of an 
approaching tempest, had put into the bay of Dingle 
for shelter ; where the master, not being acquainted 
with the harbour, nor wxll aware of his exact situa- 
tion, late in the evening, sent a boat to shore to make 
the necessary inquiries, and procure a pilot. His 
people were invited to a house, and offers made to 
search for a person acquainted wdth the bay ; but no 
pilot appearing, after a delay of some time, they felt 
it their duty to return to the vessel. On arriving at 
the boat, they found, however, to their dismay, that 
the oars had been secreted. Thus prevented from 
informing the captain of his danger, he remained in 
ignorance of it ; and the vessel, exposed during the 
night to the violence of the gale, drifted from her 
anchors, and perished on the sands. 

The bay of Dingle, near the scene of this unfortu- 



22G 

nate calamity, is traversed by two long sand-banks^ 
which, projecting from opposite sides, nearly meet, 
and divide the bay into outer and inner harbours. 
On the south side, the sand, having accumulated to 
a great height, opposed a barrier to the waves, and a 
considerable extent of ground was left dry behind it, 
whicli, in process of time, was appropriated to culti- 
vation. It was in this place the miscreants who had 
been instrumental to the destruction of the vessel 
had their farms 5 and not long after it happened, the 
sea, rolling in with an unusual impetuosity, burst 
through the mound, and completely overwhelmed 
their whole property. That such atrocity vshould 
have been marked by some signal retiibution, is a 
common sentiment through the whole civilized world 5 
but, in a country where the peculiar character of the 
popular superstition is to impute a more immediate 
agency to the divine power, it is not to be wondered 
at that this event was universally attributed to the 
vindictive judgment of offended Heaven. 

The friendly and hospitable disposition of the 
mountaineers of Iveragh far exceeded what we met 
with elsewhere. As we traversed that wildest part of 
Kerry, our tents each morning were surrounded with 
people bringing presents of eggs, butter, poultry, and 
fish, particularly trout, with whichthe streams abound ^ 
and, on being informed that nothing would be ac- 
cepted without payment, they went away apparently 



227 

much disappointed. Curiosity to see a party of men 
of a class somewhat different from what they were 
accustomed to behold in this remote region, and, 
above all, the novel spectacle of the tents, might 
have operated as an incentive to their conduct on 
these occasions ; but of the good will with which 
the presents were offered there could be no doubt. 

The morning of our departure, after being a few 
days stationary in a valley, multitudes came down 
from the sorrounding mountains ; and the process of 
striking the tents was contemplated with as much 
astonishment as we are told a similar occurrence pro- 
duced among the natives of the Pellew islands. An 
old man who had followed, with others, and to whom 
some respect appeared to be shown, made a long ha- 
rangue on the occasion. He concluded it, as we were 
informed, (for he spoke in Irish) by observing, " That 
he was then far advanced in years, and had seen and 
heard of many extraordinary things, but to behold 
people pull down their houses and carry them away 
in bags, was a wondrous sight, which almost exceed* 
ed behef " 

Of the real comforts enjoyed by many of the pea- 
sants of this country, whilst the exterior aspect of 
their habitation is that of poverty, we had a convin- 
cing proof at this place. In advancing towards it 
over the mountains, we had been drenched with tor- 
rents of rain, and had been obliged to wade through 



228 

several streams which were suddenly swollen to a 
great height. The length of the way the horses had 
to travel through the valleys, and the miserable state 
of the roads, as they were called, retarded the pro^ 
gress of the baggage ; we entered a house, therefore, 
to shelter ourselves from the storm till their arrival. 
None of the women spoke English ; but, by signs 
and gestures, they bade us welcome to their humble 
habitation, and, perceiving our uncomfortable state, 
eagerly assisted us in taking off our wet apparel. A 
blazing fire was made to dry it ; and, in the mean 
time, we were presented with shirts, coarse indeed, 
but made up with all the neatness of a town laund- 
ress ; a clean blanket also, taken from a large chesty 
was thrown round the shoulders of each* No silly bash- 
fulness was displayed on this occasion by the women, 
although they were young and pretty. Their thoughts 
seemed intent alone on offices of kindness, and they 
lent a willing hand both in undressing and in robing 
us. Presently the man of the house entered, who 
spoke English ; he thanked us for our visit to him in 
preference to another ; applauded the conduct of the 
women in his absence, and hoped we had got to eat 
the best his house could afford. Some potatoes and 
wheaten cakes were toasting at the fire, a sight tempt- 
ing to men whose appetites had been sharpened by 
traversing a long tract of mountain during the incle- 
mency of a storm : with the addition of eggs, milk, 



229 

and butter, each excellent in kind, they were set on 
a table covered with a clean cloth, and furnished a 
feast, superior, perhaps, to what ever gratified the 
pampered palate of a city alderman. 

To describe every grand and beautiful scene 
amongst these mountains would occupy volumes. 
Uivers, lakes, cascades, rocks, and glens, are here 
displayed in all their deHghtful variety ; and, from 
the heights, the most sublime views open of the coast 
and the Atlantic ocean. Woods, indeed, are want- 
ing : the general aspect of the country is bleak ; yet 
in a few of the glens we found coppices and thickets, 
which overhung the water-falls, and, in som'e mea« 
sure, supplied the deficiency. Each day that we 
spent in these wilds afforded new delights ; and, a£ 
ter an absence of weeks, it was not without regret 
that we returned once more to the town of Killarney, 



230 



SECTION IV. 



KiLLARNEY may be ranked amongst the neatest of 
the small towns of Ireland : the streets are of a com- 
modious breadth, and well paved j and, on each side, 
there are raised flagged ways for the convenience of 
foot passengers. 

The remoteness of the town from the lake occa- 
sions much trouble to strangers; and, so far from 
being attended with any advantage to the inhabitants, 
exposes them to inconvenience, by placing them be- 
yond the immediate reach of an object of prime ne- 
cessity, — soft water. 

It is often a very difficult matter to account satis- 
factorily for the position of inland towns. Sometimes 
it was determined by accident ; sometimes by arbi- 
trary circumstances ; but it seldom depended on a 
deliberate consideration of the permanent advantages 
of the spot. In some instances, a town arose in the 
neighbourhood of the dwelling of the lord of the soil, 
in consequence of the security which it afforded to 
his tenantry and dependants : in others, g-t the junc- 



231 

tion of cross roads, where many travellers were likely 
to pass ; and where some would be induced to tarry, 
by the hopes of meeting companions for the remain- 
der of their journey, in times of danger, when the 
highways could not be safely passed by single per- 
sons. Perhaps one, or both of these causes, might 
have contributed to determine the situation of the 
town of Killarney. Several leading roads pass through 
it, and it stands contiguous to the mansion of Lord 
Kenmare, the proprietor of a vast extent of the sur- 
rounding country : but, to whatever cause the first 
growth of the town is attributable, certain it is that 
its present prosperity is owing to the liberality of his 
lordship, in granting lots of ground upon easy term^ 
to those who are inclined to build ; and it will pro- 
bably continue to increase under the influence of the 
same system. 

The population of the town has been estimated at 
five thousand persons ; but I suspect that the num- 
ber is over-rated by at least one-fourth, although in 
the principal streets I counted nearly three hundred 
slated houses ; and, in the alleys and lanes which 
branch from them in different directions, the habita? 
tions are as crowded as in a populous city, where 
every foot of ground becomes of importance. 

The town contains many shops of different kinds, 
which supply the mountaineers and the people of the 
adjacent country with articles in common demand. 



232 

It is also the seat of some manufactures. The prin- 
cipal one is that of tanning, which is favoured by the 
contiguity of the extensive woods of oak along the 
shores of the lake. A species of strong coarse linen 
is made there called handle linen, from an old Irish 
measure of fourteen inches, of that name, by which 
it is commonly sold ; and also, probably, from its 
breadth being regulated by the same standard. In 
some parts of the county of Cork there has been a 
great demand for this narrow linen for exportation to 
the West Indies, where it is employed in making 
cinctures for the slaves. A branch of the cotton ma^ 
nufactory was also established some years ago ; but 
the machinery was not of the most approved con- 
struction ; its progress was slow ; and the death of 
one of the principal proprietors occasioned its decline. 

Such crowds of people flock into the town on a 
market-day, that it is difficult to pass through the 
streets ; and on Sundays, and the numerous holidays 
' of the Roman Catholic church, most of which are re- 
ligiously observed, the streets are not less thronged. 
The latter days seem more especially appropriated to 
the purchase of finery for the females, and the shops 
are kept half open to supply them. 

Killarney is the residence of the Roman Catholic 
bishop of the diocese : his chapel is spacious, and 
mass is celebrated in it with much pomp. In its vi- 
cinity stands a convent for nuns, who appear to (ie- 



233 

vote the principal part of their time to the education 
of young persons of their own sex. 

Irish is very generally spoken in the town ; and 
many of the inhabitants, equally with those in the 
wilder parts of the county, are unacquainted with 
any other language : English, however, is becoming 
every year more prevalent. Notwithstanding the long 
neglect of this latter tongue, it is asserted that Latin 
has been very generally studied in Kerry, even by 
the lowest ranks of the people j and I have heard 
more than one gentleman bear testimony to the cir- 
cumstance of bare-footed boys having been found 
reading classical authors in the fields. It is related 
of one of these poor fellows, that, upon an expostu- 
lation having been made with him on such an unpro- 
fitable use of his time, he replied, with much spirit, — ^ 

" Est quodam prodire tenus, si non datur ultra." 

" Classical reading," says Dr Smith, in his History 
of Kerry, *' extends itself even to a fault amongst the 
lower and poorer kinds of this country ; many of 
whom, to the taking them off more useful work, 
have greater knowledge in this way than some of the 
better sort of other places. Neither is the genius of 
the commonalty confined to this kind of learning 
alone ; for I saw a poor man, near Blackstones, who 
had a tolerable notion of calculating the epacts, gold- 
en numbers, dominical letter, the moon's phases, and 



^34 

even eclipses, although he had never been taught 
to read EngHsh." Similar testimony is borne by other 
writers : — " In alighting to take a view of the ancient 
family-seat at Pallice, I gave the bridle of my horse 
to a poor boy, who seemed to look for it with eager- 
ness. From his manner of answering some questions 
I asked him, I was led to inquire into his situation ; 
and was not a little surprised to find that, though 
sunk in the most abject poverty, he was, neverthe- 
less, a good classical scholar. He was well acquaint- 
ed with the best Latin poets ; had read over most of 
the historians ; and was then busy with the Orations 
of Cicero. I found, upon further inquiry, that this 
classical spirit is very general among the lower sort 
of people in Kerry." — Desaipion of Killarnei/, — - 
Anonymous, 

These accounts, however, are either much exag- 
gerated, or the taste for classical learning is less pre- 
valent than it was formerly 5 for, notwithstanding my 
earnest endeavours during the time I continued in 
Kerry, I was unable to procure an interview with one 
of these learned peasants. A gentleman of my ac- 
quaintance, indeed, who was with me at Killarney, 
once happened to be present when a poor boy came 
into the inn yard, and asked for alms in Latin ; and 
he observed that several of the towns-folk, who were 
by-standers, replied to him in that language, and, for 
some minutes, continued the conversation with appa- 



<235 



rent facility. But that some knowledge of Latin 
should obtain in a place where the service of the pre- 
vailing religion is performed in that language, is not 
very extraordinary ; and, in almost every part of Ire- 
land, poor boys, the offspring of mean, though ambi- 
tious parents, are occasionally met with, who have 
been instructed in that language for the purpose of 
qualifying them at a future period for the priesthood. 
There are three inns at Killarney ; but the accom* 
modations they afford are not, on the whole, calcula- 
ted to induce strangers to remain beyond the period 
that is absolutely necessary to gratify their curiosity. 
This I may illustrate by stating that not one of them, 
as late as the year 1 806, afforded a coach-house ; so 
that, if it were not for the permission commonly 
granted to strangers, of having their carriages put 
into one of those attached to the residence of Lord 
Kenmare, there would be no alternative but leaving 
them exposed to the wxather. As the inns are not 
sufficiently spacious to admit the great number of 
strangers who resort to the town during the summer 
months, the proprietors of private houses find an ad- 
vantage in having apartments for hire ; and those 
who reside in them can have every necessary for the 
table supplied with tolerable neatness and regularity, 
and at a very moderate expense, from the inn. It is 
much to be regretted that there is no place of public 
accommodation, not even a single house, on the con- 



236 

fines of the lake, where apartments can be procured ; 
for, independent of the inconvenience of going and 
returning, some disgust is liable to be felt at the sud- 
den transition from the rural and sequestered scenery 
of the lake to the hurry and bustle of a noisy town, 
which is always crowded with idle people, and among 
whom beggars, as in every place of public resort in Ire- 
land, bear a very conspicuous proportion. In this re- 
spect it is that Killarriey appears so much less attrac- 
tive than the lakes of the north of England ; it affords 
none of those delightful retreats which abound in the 
latter country ; and which invite the passing stranger 
to tarry and examine the surrounding scenery at lei- 
sure ; on the contrary, while the eye is allured by 
the charms of nature, the mind is continually dis- 
tressed and perplexed by the difficulties which are 
interposed to the enjoyment of the scene by the ne- 
glect and indolence of the inhabitants. 

I shall now proceed to give a brief account of the 
different routes to Killarney, beginning at Limerick, 
Mallow, and Cork, through one or other of which 
places almost every stranger passes in going thither. 

Limerick affords the shortest route from DubKn, 
and from the northern parts of the kingdom ; and 
from this place three distinct roads branch off to Kil- 
larney, which differ only a few miles in length. The 
first runs along the banks of the Shannon as far as 
Ballylongford, and thence through Listowel and Tra« 



237 

lee: the second through the midst of the mountains/ 
by Newcastle, Abbey-feale, and Castle island : the 
third by BrufF, Kilmallock, and Charleville, through 
Mallow, where it unites with another road. 

If either of the two first roads from Limerick is se- 
lected, the traveller should proceed to Adare, on ac- 
count of the several curious ruins at that place. It 
is beautifully situated in the midst of an improved 
wooded country, and was once a large town, but is 
now reduced to a miserable village, which derives its 
only consequence from the remains of antiquity, and 
its contiguity to the noble park of Lord Adare. The 
river Maig flows through the park and village, with 
a smooth but strong current : on its banks, near the 
bridge, are seea the ruins of the ancient castle that 
formerly defended the town, and which still preserves 
its insular situation, being surrounded by deep and 
broad moats, filled by water from the river. It once 
resisted a very long siege ; and, when the garrison 
was supposed to be on the point of surrendering, a 
vigorous sally, inspired by the despair of famine, car- 
ried confusion into the ranks of the assailants, and 
raised the blockade. In the wars of Desmond, how- 
ever, notwithstanding the apparent strength of the 
fortifications, it was taken and retaken many diffe- 
rent times. 

The most interesting of the ruins are the abbeys, 
whose lofty quadrangular towers, rising above the 



238 

summits of the ancient trees by which they are en« 
veloped, produce a most deHghtful effect. The lar- 
gest and most perfect of these edifices stands in the 
park of Lord Adare, and forms a noble embellishment 
to his improvements. In the cloister of it there are 
^ome curious pieces of ancient sculpture, and seve- 
ral of the windows are decorated with escutcheons, 
bearing alternately a cros^ and saltien In the style 
of all these buildings a striking similarity is obser- 
vable, particularly in their tall square steeples. The 
oldest of them is in the Trinitarian abbey, or friary, 
which was founded in the reign of Edward the First, 
for the redemption of Christian captives : belonging 
to it there were friars of the order of St Augustine ; 
preaching friars ; and grey friars. The Augustinian 
friary, the next in point of age, was founded in the 
year 1315 ; and the Grey friary, of which there only 
remains the steeple, in 1465.* These abbeys were 
all extremely rich ; and, in the enumeration of their 
possessions, which were granted by Queen Ehzabeth 
to Sir Henry Wallop, mention is made of their hou- 
ses, tenements, burgages, parks, gardens, arable and 
pasture lands, water-mills, fishing^weirs, &c. The 
Grey friary was the most wealthy of all : besides ha- 
ving three parks, gardens, lands, &c. &c., it enjoyed 

* ArchdalPs Monasticon Flib. 



239 

not only the tithes of Adare, but also those of twenty- 
seven other towns. 

The road along the Shannon does not afford a con- 
tinued prospect of that river ; and, when seen, it is 
rather to be admired for its great breadth and majes- 
tic windings, than for its picturesque beauty. The 
country on each side is generally hilly and open. The 
most agreeable views on the river are at the mouths 
of some of the streams which fall into it, where one 
may occasionally see an old castle, surrounded with 
the huts of fishermen, and shaded by a few trees. 

The first inn at which the traveller can stop with 
any satisfaction, is that at Tarbort, the neatness of 
which, on my first visit, w^as extraordinary. 

Listowel, though a considerable town, yields the 
very worst accommodation. The market-place forms 
a spacious square, and derives an air of importance 
fi'om the gateway of the old castle, which stands be- 
tween two lofty round towers, occupying one side of 
the square. The castle extended from this entrance 
along the brow of the hill, and nearly overhung the 
river ; but its walls are now quite in ruins. Between 
this place and the Shannon, the road crosses a bog of 
great extent : afterwards it passes through a cultivated 
country ; but there is nothing very interesting in the 
scenery until it reaches the mountains beyond Tralee, 
where a distant prospect of Killarney is disclosed. 

Tralee is a very thriving town, in which many new 



240 

houses have lately been erected : it contains an inn 
with commodious apartments, but cleanliness and re- 
gularity were not to be enumerated amongst its re- 
commendations. 

The accommodations along the second road from 
Limerick through Newcastle and Abbey-feale, are 
still worse than on that which has already been men- 
tioned. Indeed, when I passed it in the year 1 804, 
it did not afford a single inn fit to receive a female 
habituated to the conveniences and comforts of ci- 
vilized life. We observed, however, that they were 
building a new inn at Abbey-feale. This road is very 
liable to be injured by mountain torrents ; when we 
travelled it, it was barely passable for a carriage. 
The country through which it runs is wild, but not 
interesting ; and the lake is not seen beyond the 
distance of five or six miles. ^ 

The chief inducement for selecting the third route 
from Limerick, by the way of Kilmallock, is to see 
the extraordinary ruins of that place, which has been 
styled the Balbec or Palmyra of Ireland ; and cer- 
tainly, so far as a contrast between former magnifi- 
cence and present misery contributes to the parallel, 
it may be said to bear a striking resemblance to the 
remains of those once celebrated cities of the east. 

Kilmallock was the capital of Desmond's domi- 
nions ; and as he was the most wealthy, and, at the 
same time, the most powerful subject in the kingdom, 



24 i 



SO this his largest city was distinguished above every 
other, by the beauty and splendour of its edifices. It 
is said to have contained numerous castles, churches, 
and abbeys, besides many extensive palaces of mar- 
ble ; and the generality of the houses, also built of 
hewn stone, were placed with regularity along the 
lines of straight and spacious streets. A lofty wall, 
strengthened at intervals by towers, defended the 
city on every side, and each gate, or entrance, was 
protected by a castle. Tradition relates, that when 
the commander of the parliamentary army entered 
Kilmallock, he w^as so struck with its uncommon 
beauty, that, contrary to the dictates of that cruel 
policy which had led to the destruction of every for- 
tified town, and every castle and habitation of the 
Irish, he resolved to spare the place : but having af* 
terwards learned that nearly the whole of the inhabit- 
ants bore the same name, he judged it imprudent to 
leave so powerful a confederacy in quiet possession 
of their property ; and, adding another to the nume- 
rous examples of vengeance which had already been 
exercised to strike terror into the enemy, he gave 
orders to demolish the city. 

Only one of the castellated gates yet continues en- 
tire, and the limits of the walls and fortifications can 
no longer be traced ; but of the ancient town suffici- 
ent still remains, to shew that it must have displayed 
a scene of wealth and splendour superior in its day 

Q 



242 

to every other place in Ireland. The most remark- 
able of all the ruins, because the most uncommon, are 
the remains of a wide street with a range of houses 
on each side, the walls of which, built of hewn lime- 
stone, appear as fresh as the day they were finished. 
The plans of these houses are nearly all the same. They 
present two or more gable ends to the street, and are 
divided into three stories. The entrances, by spaci- 
ous portals with semicircular arches, open into small 
halls, which communicate with broad passages, that 
probably contained the stairs, whence there are door- 
ways leading to the principal apartments. The win- 
dows, of a square form, and small in proportion to 
the size of the rooms, are divided into compartments 
by one or more uprights, and sometimes by a cross of 
stone. The chimney-pieces are large and lofty, and 
the fire-places calculated for containing huge piles of 
wood. All the ornaments are of a very simple kind ; 
and, from dates carved on some of them, it appears 
that they were sculptured during the reign of EHza- 
beth. As the walls were quite firm, these houses, at 
a moderate expense, might be converted into very 
comfortable dwellings : a few of them have been 
partially repaired in a clumsy manner, and are actu- 
ally inhabited ; but the greater part lie quite ne- 
glected, or are converted into receptacles for cattle, 
and for manure. Within some, we found huts of the 
very poorest description, built in the corners of the 



24S 

principal ground apartments, inhabited by people 
whose squalid aspect bespoke the utmost misery. 

The town at present occupies the brow of a small 
hill, at the bottom of which runs a stream ; but it is 
probable that it once, also, extended along the oppo- 
site bank, as the remains of several spacious rehgious 
buildings are observable there. It is the fate of these 
edifices to be exposed to still greater injury than 
those in the town ; the walls being broken down, 
and the stones carried away, whenever the inhabit- 
ants of the adjacent district are in want of materials 
for a house or a fence. 

The cloister of one of the largest abbeys has been 
converted into a farm-yard, and the piazza around it 
into stalls for bullocks. Here, half covered with a 
heap of dirt, I found a sculptured stone, probably the 
remains of a tomb, with an inscription to commemo- 
rate the death of three young men, brothers, who 
were slain in the civil wars during the year 1642.* 



* This epitaph, evidently written in hexameter and pentameter 
verses, is inscribed on the stone, without any attention to the proper 
terminations of the lines. Two alone, the first and fifth, are correctly 
engraved ; of the others, some begin in the middle of the verses, and 
some even with the latter syllables of words, for which there was not 
sufficient space in the preceding line. It should stand thus : — 

1642. 
Tertia lux caesos rriemorat Septembris in anno 

Quam legis ; heu ! nondum tres tenet urn^ senes, ] 



244^ 



In the centre of the chancel of the church, belong- 
ing to the same abbey, stands a tomb in tolerable 
preservation, which a Latin inscription denotes to be 
that of the White Knights. Many other interesting 



Marte novo * fratresque ruunt tria pignora justa : 
Jus patriae causam, Rexque, Fidesque probant. 
Integer attritis reperitur candor in extis 

Virginis, et veri purpura marturii. 
Lilia purpureos inter sudantia fluctus 

Tres meruere. Trium nomina marmor habet. 
Fratres — Georgius -\ 

Alexander >Burgate. 
Nep * * * 3 

" The third day of September, in the year which you read, re- 
cords these slain ; alas ! the urn contains three men not yet old. 
Brothers and three just pledges, {children,) they fall in a new war. 
The king and religion approve the right and the cause of the coun- 
try. The untainted purity of a virgin is found in their worn-out re- 
mains, and the purple [blood) of a real martyrdom. The three me- 
rited lilies t exhaling (^odoms) amidst the bloody waves. This marble 
preserves their name, 

George -^ 
Alexander >Burgate.'* 
Nep * * * 3 

The Burgates took an active part in the great rebellion of 1641, 
and were consequently involved in the contentions which followed. 
Amongst the depositions relative to the year 1641, existing in MS. 
in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, it appears that John Bur- 
gate, Esq. of Kilmallock, was an officer of the Irish army. In July, 
164'2, he was present when the Irish took from Lady Elizabeth Dow- 
dall, of Kilfinny, her castle : he was also present, with several thousand 

• Substituted in lieu of the corrupt word, marteneros, which appears on the 
stone. 

+ The lily was an emblem of martyrdom. 



245 

relics of antiquity are doubtless to be seen at Kil- 
mallock ; but, as I only stopped there for a few 
hours, and was prevented by torrents of rain from 
taking more than a very slight view of the town, I 
am unable to give a fuller account of it. In the 
Monasticon Hibernicum, Kilmallock is only slightly 
mentioned, and I have never met with a detailed de- 
scription of its ruins. 

The misery of Kilmallock is to be attributed, seem- 
ingly, to the total want of manufactures, and to the 
land of the surrounding country being almost wholly 
devoted to grazing bullocks. The peasantry are few, 
and their condition abject. Indeed, throughout this 
district, man seems to derive less benefit from the 
bountiful gifts of nature, than the beasts which re- 
pose in the luxuriant meadows. The roads through 



rebels, at the taking of the castle of Croom, in the county of Lime- 
rick ; which last was given to him in custody. It appears also, that 
the battle of Liscarrol, a place about twelve miles distant from Kil- 
mallock, was fought between the English and Irish armies on the 3d 
of September, 1642 ; in which the latter were routed, according to 
the manuscript account, with the loss of eight hundred men killed ; 
whilst twelve only were killed on the part of the English. I am in- 
debted for these illustrations to an ingenious and learned member of 
the university of Dublin. 

The epitaph is a striking proof that the Irish considered the re- 
bellion of 1641, and the subsequent wars, to be the common cause 
of the country, approved of by the king, (Charles I.) and sanction- 
ed by religion : and the publicity of the monument on which it was 
inscribed, serves to shew the weakness of the English interest in this 
part of the countr}^ for some time afterwards. 



246 

this country are good ; but the inns between Lime- 
rick and Mallow are all of the very poorest descrip- 
tion. 

Mallow^ is beautifully situated on the rich banks of 
the river Blackwater, in the centre of a district, which 
is embellished with numerous gentlemen's seats. The 
place is celebrated for a spring, which throws up an 
abundant supply of very pure water, resembling that 
of the hot-wells near Bristol. It is much resorted to 
by invalids from the southern parts of Ireland, who 
labour under consumptions and other complaints. 

Public rooms are opened here in the season for the 
recreation of the visitors ; but the improvement of 
the town is strangely neglected ; and a place which 
might easily be rendered extremely attractive, at pre- 
sent holds out few inducements, except the natural 
salubrity of its air and water. 

From Mallow to Killarney, the road runs for some 
miles along the banks of the Blackwater, through a 
country highly improved and well wooded ; but, as 
it advances, the scenery becomes less interesting, and, 
in the vicinity of the village of Mill-street, about fif- 
teen miles from Killarney, it enters a bleak and moun- 
tainous region. Mill-street is situated at the junction 
of the Cork and Mallow roads ; and, being a place 
of great thoroughfare, it affords much business to a 
considerable inn, which has hitherto been one of the 
very best in the country. Hence to Killarney the 



247 

roacl passes alternately over bogs and mountains, and 
the country affords little that is pleasing, until a view 
of the lake is discovered from the mountains at the 
distance of a few miles. From Cork to Mill-street 
the road is still more dreary, passing over mountains, 
where, for many miles, no human beings are seen but 
the drivers of the numerous horses which are employ- 
ed in transporting butter from Kerry. Yet, bleak and 
dreary as this country now appears, a century, it is 
said, has scarcely elapsed, since the w^hole of it was 
so thickly covered with wood, that, to use the expres- 
sion of those from whom I received the account, a 
squirrel could go from Killarney to Cork by leaping 
from bough to bough. 

The road through Mill-street is the direct one from 
Cork to Killarney ; but there are several others which 
are far more agreeable in point of scenery : as by 
Bandon, Bantry, &c. My first excursion to Killar- 
ney was made from Cork, along the sea coast ; and, 
as it afforded a view of a part of the country, which, 
though rarely visited, abounds in objects of interest 
and curiosity, I shall devote the following and con- 
cluding section to a few observations that were made 
during the journey. 



^48 



SECTION V. 



The first town which we came to on the coast was 
Kinsale, situated at the distance of fourteen miles 
from Cork ; a place of great antiquity, and celebra- 
ted in the annals of Irish history for having with- 
stood various sieges. William the Third, indignant 
at its resistance to his forces, ordered its strong 
walls and fortifications, on the land side, to be de- 
stroyed ; those towards the sea, however, were not 
only suffered to remain entire, but even strengthened. 
The town is built on an elevated bank at the head of 
an inlet of the sea, which affords one of the most safe 
and commodious harbours on the coast ; and it con- 
tains the only king's dock-yard in Ireland. From the 
water, the houses have an agreeable appearance, rising 
above each other in stages from the bottom to the 
very summit of the bank. The streets are very nar- 
row, and the precipitous ascents and descents render 
them still more incommodious. Many ancient houses 
still remain inhabited, which exhibit specimens of 
architecture totally different from what is observable 



249 

in any of the towns on the eastern coast of the king- 
dom ; in each story, to the front, there are balconies, 
or httle galleries, which occupy the centre of the 
house, and communicate at each extremity with large 
bowed windows. There are several remains of castles 
and religious buildings in diiferent parts of the town, 
but none of the ruins are remarkable for their pictu- 
resque appearance. The town and liberties contain 
near seven thousand acres, and are governed by a so- 
vereign and a recorder. 

From Kinsale to Clonikelty, the road runs through 
a country agreeably diversified with hill and valley, 
affording, at intervals, several pleasing prospects of 
the sea. Clonikelty was once, it is said, a place of 
considerable trade, and returned two members to the 
Irish parliament ; but the entrance to the harbour 
having been obstructed by the accumulation of sand, 
its trade declined : * the houses, though numerous, 
are in general of a poor description. 

At the distance of a few miles from Clonikelty, 
stands Castle Freke, the seat of Lord Carbery, beau- 
tifully situated on the sea shore, which is here indent- 



* The Rev. Mr Townsend, author of the late statistical survey of 
Cork, published 1810, has informed me, since the above was writ- 
ten, that the bar at the mouth of the harbour has not undergone 
any material alteration for the last twenty -five years ; that the trade 
of the place has increased within his recollection, and that the num- 
ber of houses is greater now than at any former period. 

9 



250 

ed by bold promontories formed of craggy rocks, 
whose dark colom' affords a striking contrast to those 
of the green and transparent waves of the Atlantic, 
which roll against them. These rocks are rendered 
still more romantic, by the vast caverns worn ia them 
by the attrition of the water. At the base of the cliffs 
lies a sandy beach, where, at certain seasons, immense 
numbers of people are employed, during low water, 
in collecting sea-weed for manure j which is drifted 
in as well by eddies and currents as by the regular 
influx of the tide. 

That the accumulation of the weed is not entirely 
dependent on the flood-tide, is obvious from the cir- 
cumstance of trees of foreign growth having been in 
several instances washed in along with it. Soon after 
the building of Castle-Freke was commenced, one of 
these trees, of enormous size, was drifted into the 
bay : the smaller branches had been all beaten off by 
the waves ; and the stem was thickly covered with 
barnacles, a proof of its having been long at sea : its 
interior part, however, was perfectly sound, and a 
beautiful floor in the castle was formed of the boards 
which it produced : it was of the pine tribe, and of 
the growth, as was conjectured, of South America.* 



* At the town of Beerhaven, in Bantry-bay, we saw part of a vast 
tree which had been drifted on the shore there in a similar manner. 
After two long pieces had been cut off at the butt-end, the stem was 



251 



Besides the sea-weed, another vahiable species ol' 
manure is procured upon this shore, which is very ge- 
nerally used in the adjoining district, and occasional- 
ly is carried to a distance exceeding twelve miles. It 
consists of a sand formed of shells of various descrip- 
tions, finely comminuted, and slightly intermixed with 
small grains of quartz, and it is found on one bank 
alone. Sometimes this bank is nearly exhausted ; but 
the first storm never fails to replenish it with a fresh 
supply of the same valuable material. The sand is 
sprinkled on the ground with the hand ; and if plen- 
tifully disseminated, its beneficial effects will be ob- 
served for seven or eight years. Its value has been 
long known to individuals in the neighbourhood ; 
but we were informed it had not been in general 
use for more than three or four years preceding our 
visit at Castle-Freke in the 1800. It would be impos- 
sible to have a manure better adapted to the stiff ar- 
gillaceous soil of this country. * 



still nearly six feet in diameter. The wood was a pale yellow co- 
lour, and so hard, that, although timber is remarkably scarce in that 
part of the country, no person would be at the pains, owing to the 
great labour it required, to saw off another piece ; and it had lain 
for some time neglected on the beach. 

* The shape and the extent of sand-banks on the sea-shore are 
very commonly altered by storms, and particularly during high tides ; 
but I have lately been informed, that the one at Clonikelty under- 
goes no change. Let the weather be ever so calm, the water ever 
go low, and the numbers who resort to it for manure ever so great, 
like the purse of Fortunatus, the bank always affords an undiminish- 



252 

A ruinous practice prevailed here, of abandoning 
the land for some years to the care of nature, after it 
had been totally exhausted by repeated crops of corn. 
Nothing could be more wretched, in consequence, 
than the appearance of many of the fields : the stiff 
clay, dried by the heat of the sun, and split into deep 
fissures, seemed in some instances to have lost the 
power of vegetation, and in others yielded merely a 
few tufts of noxious weeds and unprofitable grass : 
yet in these fields the miserable ewes, whose milk 
forms a principal part of the food of the people 
during summer, were left to pick a scanty suste- 
nance ; fettered, too, in order to prevent them from 
wandering in search of more palatable and nourish- 
ing food. 

Sir John Freke, now Lord Carbery, took great pains 
to point out the impolicy of this system, and to in- 
troduce the culture of clover and artificial grasses. No 
clover seed, it was answered, could be procured in the 
country. He himself took the pains of importing it, 
and distributed it in small quantities amongst the 
petty farmers. It was carefully sown. Each indivi- 
dual was delighted w^ith the result, and expressed the 
greatest obligation for the valuable communication 



ed supply. The same gentleman has assured me, that the manure 
sand has, to his knowledge, been in high reputation these forty 
years ; and that on some lands it is spread very thickly. 



2CS 

and friendly assistance : but, strange to tell, notwith- 
standing the most decided advantage had been gain- 
ed from this new system of husbandry, notwithstand- 
ing also a quantity of seed had been imported for sale 
into a neighbouring town, not one of these people 
would repeat the experiment. To find a solution for 
the motives of this conduct, so militant against the 
common principles that regulate the feelings of man- 
kind, may appear an arduous task ; but the truth is, 
that the lower classes of the Irish cannot at once ba- 
nish from their recollection the traditions of ancient 
oppression, and are with difficulty persuaded that any 
measure decidedly beneficial to them can be adopt- 
ed, or recommended, solely for their advantage. They 
are prone to suspect some sinister purpose in every 
effort to improve their condition, by which, ultimate- 
ly, they may be compelled to pay a higher rent, and 
toil more laboriously. Influenced by this prevailing 
principle, they appear unwilling to deviate from the 
beaten track in which their forefathers trod ; and of- 
ten assume an appearance of misery and poverty, to 
enjoy, as they imagine, a proportionable degree of 
security. The generous landholder, therefore, who 
commiserates their abject state, should not be deter- 
red, by the ill success which attends his first benevo- 
lent efforts, from persevering in his plan ; or attri- 
bute to brutal incapacity that reluctance to receive 



254 

advice, which may be accounted for without im- 
peaching either the hearts or understanding of the 
people. In numerous instances, the condition of the 
Irish peasants has certainly been materially meliora- 
ted of late years by the influence and example of 
men of liberal minds ; and it is ardently to be hoped, 
that a system at once calculated to afford benefit to 
the landlord, comfort to the tenant, and prosperity 
and peace to the country, may be more freely adopt, 
ed and widely diffused.* 



* In the late statistical survey of Cork, alluded to in the prece- 
ding pages, the revereHd author has quoted this passage, and he adds, 
" that it is hard to say, whether text or comment betray most 
marks of ignorance and misconception ; that the account of this dis- 
trict, communicated by a person born in its vicinity, long acquaint- 
ed with the manners and language, sufficiently exposes the Jhlsehood 
of a statement, which, indeed, it would be almost impossible to cre- 
dit, were there no other commentator than its own absurdity.'* 
(Page 283.) That " to find a solution for difficulties that exist only 
in the author's imagination, is an undertaking savouring somewhat of 
Quixotism; it reminds one of the renowned knight's ingenuity in 
creating giants for the purpose of conquering them," &c. &c. He 

further tells his readers, that " Mr W passed only one night at 

Castle-Freke, on his way to Killarney, and might possibly have mis- 
taken the dreams of the pillow for the conversation of the parlour." 

Notwithstanding these, and many other remarks of a similar ten- 
dency, I have resolved to leave the passage as it originally stood, 
because, as I verily believe, the castle was not enchanted, and I can- 
not distrust the evidence of my own senses. Though but one night 
at Castle-Freke, I spent two whole mornings in rambling along the 
coast ; one of them under the very polite and friendly guidance of 
Lord Carbery. I trod upon several of the fields which I described ; 



255 

From Castle-Freke we proceeded to Ross, a small 
town situated at the head of the bay of the same 
name, chiefly remarkable for its ancient celebrity ; 
for it is said to have been once the seat of an univer- 



and obtained the information, which I detailed respecting them, 
from that very source to which Mr Townsend would fain refer me 
as being the most authentic. This gentleman, indeed, admits in his 
book, that Lord Carbery's endeavours to extend the culture of clo- 
ver were not equal to his lordship's wishes ; but, he says, I could 
have learned nothing more on the subject : It would be very idle to 
dispute this point ; it is quite sufficient to my purpose, to be able to 
state, that the most laudable exertions on the part of an enlighten- 
ed and benevolent resident landlord were not wanting to introduce 
an improved system of agriculture into the country, and yet, not- 
withstanding such exertions, numerous fields, in the year 1800, pre« 
sented the appearance which I have described. 

With regard to the solution which I have offered, it is possible I 
may be much mistaken. The unwillingness usually found amongst 
the lower orders of people, in almost every country, to depart from 
old customs, may, perhaps, in itself, sufficiently account for the ne- 
gligent conduct which I have noticed ; but I have seen so many in^ 
stances to confirm me in the opinion, that I am satisfied a large 
portion of the Irish peasantry, in declining the adoption of new and 
better practices in agriculture, as well as other things, are actuated, 
not only by the vulgar prejudices common to them with other peo- 
ple, but also by fear and suspicion, lest the instruction proffered to 
them with seeming benevolence should have originated in very dif- 
ferent sentiments, and be intended, eventually, more for the interest 
of the adviser than the advised. Is it possible to believe that the 
penalties and restrictions of those execrable laws, which disgraced 
the statute books during the greater part of the last century, have 
had no influence on the moral conduct of the people ? Is it possible 
to suppose their baneful effect would cease the moment that they 
were repealed ? No ; the waves of the ocean continue turbulent long 
after the blast which put them into motion has subsided. 



256 

sity, which was resorted to by all the youth of distin- 
guished families in the south of Ireland : it still con- 
tinues to be a bishop's see, united to that of Cork ; a 
cathedral was founded here as early as the sixth cen- 
tury. 

From Ross we proceeded to Baltimore, by the way 
of Castle-Townsend and Skibbereen. 

The prevailing stone of this district is a dark ar- 
gillaceous schistus, somewhat similar to that at Clo- 
nikelty : siliceous schistus, intersected by veins of 
quartz, and quartz coated with chlorite, are also com- 
mon ; but there is no calcareous stone whatsoever. 
Inquiring, as we advanced, if any minerals of pecu- 
liar variety or value had been discovered in the neigh- 
bourhood, we were informed that silver ore had been 
found in several different places ; and that a family, 
resident near the Priest's Leap, between Ross and 
Castle Townsend, had, from time to time, gathered 
small quantities of it, which had been manufactured 
for them by a silversmith at Cork, into spoons and 
other articles of domestic use : the source was kept 



Mr Townsend says, he is persuaded that Mr W will rejoice 

to find that clover, so far from being discontinued in this quarter, is 
rising in repute, notwithstanding its increase in price. 1 do indeed 
rejoice at it, and at every improvement in my native land ; nor did 
I ever entertain a doubt that the laudable endeavours which were 
made to introduce the culture of that valuable plant, would, sooner 
or later, be attended with the happiest result. 



257 

a profound secret. That the precious metals were 
formerly found in great abundance in different parts 
of Ireland is evident, as well from the great number 
of valuable golden ornaments that have been found 
beneath the surface of the earth, as from the testi- 
mony both of Irish and foreign historians. Giraldus 
Cambrensis describes the island, in his time, as 
abounding with gold ; and, in a memoir by M. De- 
larue, on the History of Caen, in Normandy, it is 
stated, that, by order of the Norman princes, 23,730 
marks of silver had been transmitted to that city 
from the English exchequer ; besides 400 marks and 
200 ounces of gold from Ireland, The late discovery 
of native gold on Croaghan mountain,* on the bor. 



* The discovery of gold on this mountain was first made public in 
the month of September, 1795, by the quarrel of two men to whom 
the secret had been known for some time previously. Thousands of 
people instantly flocked to the place, whose researches were attend- 
ed with various success. Amongst others, a young boy was attract- 
ed to the spot. Watching his opportunity whilst a party of men 
were reposing after a long and unavailing search, he stole into the 
pit which they had dug, and, groping at the bottom, immediately 
drew out a piece of gold of the value of 20/. On being seen, he 
was driven away from the place : no suspicions, however, were en- 
tertained of his good fortune, and he succeeded in depositing his 
prize in the hands of a gentleman of the country. On being told 
the value, and consulted how it was to be employed, he instantly 
requested, of his own accord, that a cow might be bought for his 
widowed mother, and he himself bound apprentice to a carpenter. 
A more judicious disposal could not have been made, and his wishes 
were faithfully complied with. I heard this anecdote on the spot 
from unquestionable authority. 

R 



258 

ders of the counties of Wicklow and Wexford, is a 
strong corroboration of these accounts ; and it may 
reasonably be presumed that there are many sources 
of the precious metals in the country with which we 
still remain unacquainted. 



It was calculated that 800 ounces, valued at £3 i 15 per ounce, 
were found by the peasantry in the course of six weeks. One piece 
was taken up weighing 22 ounces, the largest ever found in Europe ; 
and, strange to say, this most valuable and curious specimen, after 
having been offered in vain for sale to several cabinets, was consign- 
ed to the melting-pot. In the month of October, a military force 
was sent by government to take possession of the place, more for 
the purpose of tranquillizing the country, by dispersing the crowds, 
than asserting the claims of the crown. In the following year, how- 
ever, a commission, formed of Messrs. Mills and Weaver, proprietors 
of the Gronebane copper-mine, and Mr King, a magistrate of the 
county, was appointed to direct the further search ; under whose 
guidance the works have ever since been most prudently and skil- 
fully conducted. The account of the expenditure and receipts from 
the commencement of the works until June, 1801, stood as follows i 



Dr. 

To labour - - cflGTS 16 7 
Materials - - - 296 18 6 
Incidentals - - - 92 17 2 
Commission to direct- 
ors . - - - 206 17 3 



^2275 9 6 



Cr. 

By native gold raised, 599 oz. 

7dwt. 8gr. - .£2259 9 11 
By value of houses, 

sheds, implements, 

&c 



Since that period, gold has not been found in sufficient quantities to 
compensate for the labour of the search ; and money has been re- 
ceived from government to prosecute the works. 

Croaghan is a very extensive mountain, and somewhat more than 
2000 feet high. Near its summit there is a bog, the source of three 
streams, which unite during their course down the mountain. The 



259 



In the scenery of this distriet there is nothing pe- 
culiarly interesting, until a view opens of Castle- 
Townsend-haven, an inlet of the sea, about a mile in 
breadth, which extends a considerable distance up 



first gold was found in a ford on the united streams, near the base 
of the mountain ; and here the commissioners began their search, by 
re-washing the sand and gravel which had been turned up by the 
peasantry. The machinery used for that purpose was of the most 
approved and ingenious kind ; of course, much gold was found that 
had before escaped notice. That the gold must have been washed 
down the mountain was obvious, both from its external appearance, 
and from the circumstance of its being found in the largest quanti- 
ties in those places where the course of the stream was obstructed 
,by ledges of rock; the works, therefore, were continued upwards; 
but, as they ascended, the gold became more rare, and the mass of 
earth under which it lay proved so deep, that the expense of remo- 
ving it considerably exceeded the gains. Trials were, therefore, 
made in other places, by cutting transverse trenches, and sinking 
pits down to the surface of the rock ; and wherever these trials were 
made, whether above the ford or below it, whether on the river 
side of the mountain or on the opposite one, gold was discovered, 
but in such minute quantities as neither to pay for the search, nor 
give any encouragement to prosecute the works at one place in pre- 
ference to another. Even at the distance of many miles from the 
mountain, in the river Aughrim, which receives the auriferous 
stream, small particles of gold were discovered ; and I was lately in- 
formed by Captain Mills, that it had been found near the head of 
the river Liffey, sixteen miles distant from Croaghan, in another di- 
rection, under circumstances of a very extraordinary nature. A gen- 
tleman had caught a trout in that river ; its belly was much swelled, 
and evidently by some hard substance ; the fish was opened, and 
the 'lump proved to be a small piece of native gold, which the ani- 
mal must have swallowed when raised from the bottom by some eddy 
during a flood. 

With the gold there has also been found on Croaghan mountaiii 
magnetic iron ore, iron ochre, brown and red iron stone, specular 



260 



the country. It resembles in appearance a large ri- 
ver issuing from the hills, and winding through a 
country richly wooded, until it mingles its waters 
with those of the Atlantic, amidst a cluster of rocky 



iron ore, martial and arsenical pyrites, quartz containing chlorite, 
wolfram, grey ore of manganese ; and, more valuable than all, frag- 
ments of crystallized tinstone. That the latter substance would, 
sooner or later, be discovered in the county of Wicklow, Captain 
Mills had long before expressed his firm conviction, in consequence 
of the very striking similarity of many parts of that county to Corn^ 
wall. 

After a mature consideration of the various circumstances, it was 
recommended by the commissioners, in their report to government 
on the state of the works, to have a level driven through the very 
lieart of the mountain. This level is now carrying on, in the most 
judicious manner, under the skilful directions of Messrs. Mills and 
Weaver, and it is to be hoped that it will lead to some valuable disco- 
veries. As no more than two or three men can work at a time, and 
parts of the rock are (exceedingly hard, the progress of it is neces- 
sarily very slow. The cost, in a national point of view, is trifling ; 
and although it should not lead to any discovery of gold, yet, as the 
mountain abounds with a variety of valuable minerals, it is extremely 
probable that the level may prove useful to other mines that may be 
worked hereafter ; in which case, the tolls that might justly be le- 
vied for the right of passage through it, would more than repay for 
the original cost, A minute and interesting account of this moun- 
tain, of the first discovery of the gold, and of the proceedings of the 
commissioners, together with a discussion of the probability of find- 
ing additional sources of the precious metals, may be seen in the 
Philosophical Transactions, and in those of the Dublin Society. 

Since the above was written, the commissioners received orders 
from government to abandon the works. Thousands of the pea- 
santry, eager to try their fortunes, immediately flocked to the place. 
They dug in various directions with indefatigable diligence ; and, 
having observed the method practised by the regular workmen, they 
washed the earth in the same manner, and with considerable dexte- 

1 



261 

islands. Tlie town and castle from which the haven 
takes its name, are situated amongst the woods on 
the western bank, where the water is so very deep, 
that the ships which frequent the place ride at an- 
chor close to the shore, with their masts and bow- 
sprits nearly in contact with the branches of the 
trees. The transparency of the water is very remark- 
able ; at the depth of several fathoms we could dis- 
tinctly perceive the pebbles which lay at the bottom : 
in many of the other inlets of this rocky coast the 
water, though quite salt, is not less clear than it is at 
Castle-Townsend. 

Skibbereen is a thriving town, situated on a na- 
vigable river which flows into Baltimore bay. The 
great contrast between the wretched cabins of the 
old part of the town and the substantial habitations 
which have been lately built, is a striking proof of 
the benefits which the place has derived from com- 
merce. The trade chiefly consists in the exportation 



rity. ITie great multitude toiled in vain ; but a few were repaid 
very amply for their laborious search ; and the golden prize, thus 
obtained, induced others to persevere : each day brought additional 
crowds. The commissioners, aware of the consequence of an aban- 
donment, had previously remonstrated against it, but their opinion 
was disregarded. At last, however, after several weeks of general 
idleness throughout the neighbouring districts, it was found expe- 
dient to resume the possession, and to station a military guard to 
keep off the people, and oblige them to return to their accustomed 
habits of regular industry. 



262 

of grain, butter, and sklted fish ; and in the importa- 
tion of iron, deals, timber, salt, groceries, &c. This 
place called to our recollection the old story of an 
Irish servant, who, being asked, on arriving in Lon- 
don, what he thought of that city, replied, that Zow- 
don appeared a mighty good sort of a place, but was 
nothing at all to Skibbereen ; and, indeed, Skibbereen 
in some respects stands unparalleled ; for we found 
whole streets in it formed of cabins without chim- 
neys, situated at the bottom of a deep trench or 
ditch : yet the inhabitants of these hovels were heal- 
thy and cheerful ; and, in the evening, we saw nu- 
merous groups of girls singing and dancing with un- 
common vivacity and regularity,* amidst the clouds 
of smoke which issue from the doors. 

Irish is so generally spoken in this part of the 
country, that, at Skibbereen, we found it expedient 
to learn a few phrases in that language, for the pur- 
pose of inquiring the way, and asking the names of 
places which we passed. 

To the south of Skibbereen the country is diversi- 
fied by numerous hills, which are devoted to pastu- 
rage, and remain nearly in a state of nature, covered 
with rocks and heath ; the lesser valleys also, deemed 
unfit for tillage, are left in the same neglected con- 



* It is a notorious fact, that many of the Irish peasants take les- 
sons in dancing from4tinerant teachers. 



263 

dition* After having passed for some miles through 
these wild valleys, where little appeared to interest 
the attention, we were most agreeably surprised by 
the sudden view of an extensive basin of water sur- 
rounded by lofty hills. Its form was nearly circular, 
and in the centre stood an island, where the ruins of 
an old castle, over-run with ivy, towered above a pile 
of rocks. 

Desirous of examining it more closely, we hasten- 
ed towards some men who were hauling a boat on 
the beach, and were endeavouring to prevail on them 
to launch it once more, when an elderly gentleman 
accosted us, and told us the boat belonged to him ; 
he added, at the same time, that it was much at our 
service, and that, if we were willing to wait until he 
went as far as his house, he would himself accompany 
us. We gladly accepted his oiFer, and, after a few 
minutes, embarked together. This curious piece of 
water, called Lough Ine, communicates with the 
ocean by a narrow rocky channel, concealed between 
the hills, through which the tide flows. It abounds 
with every sort of fish that is found on the coast, and 
in particular with oysters of an excellent kind, which 
we could distinctly perceive in the sand near the 
island, at the depth of three fathoms. Here the boat 
was moored, the dredge prepared, and, in a few mi- 
nutes, an abundance of these rare oysters procured. 
Our friendly guide had returned from his house, at- 



264 

tended by a boy carrying a basket ; and we now dis. 
covered that if contained every necessary to afford us 
an agreeable repast. Copious libations were poured 
from bottles which had evidently been filled in France, 
and the wine proved to be nothing less than Burgundy 
of a most delicious flavour.* 

Our host informed us that the castle was once the 
residence of his ancestors, who were lords of the sur- 
rounding country j and he gave an admirable de- 
scription of the former beauty of the lough, when the 
hills by which it was environed were clothed to the 
summit with lofty trees. Into the history of the vi- 
cissitudes of a family once so wealthy and powerful, 
it was no time to inqi^ire ; we could only lament that 
one, in whom the hospitable spirit of the old Irish 
chieftain shone forth so conspicuously, should have 
limits assigned to its most ample exercise. On re- 
gaining the main shore, for the first time, he begged 
to know our names j and, though unacquainted with 
any one of them, gave us a warm invitation to his 
house ; but, being under the necessity of declining 
further favours, we bade him farewell, with cordial 
thanks for his hospitality and politeness.t 



* In times of peace, French wine is common on the western coast 
of Ireland. 

f A reverend gentleman was pleased to say, that, in the neigh- 
bourhood of Skibbereen, he fears this story should be laughed at as 
a quiz ; — that mne was not, to his own knowledge, the usual beve- 



265 

Soon after leaving Lough Ine, we came within 
sight of the bay of Baltimore, upon whose border the 
road runs for some miles before it reaches the town. 
The bay is very beautiful, studded with islands of va- 
rious size, and bounded by a range of lofty hills, 
which terminate on the coast in a bold promontory. 
Beyond it appear other promontories still more lofty, 
amongst which is seen, in the distance, Mizen-head, 
the Notium of Ptolemy, the most southern point of 
land in Ireland ;* woods alone are w^an ting to render 
this one of the richest views imaginable j not a tree 
is now to be seen along the shores, although formerly 
they were covered with a continued forest. 

Fish is so plentiful at Baltimore, that, after the 
neighbouring inland district has been quite glutted, 
and after immense quantities have been dried and 
salted, in which business every person that can be 
procured is kept constantly employed during the 



rage of this old gentleman ; — that smuggling has been long suppress- 
ed ; and, when otherwise, Burgundy was not among the wines to 
be obtained in the country. All this serves to confirm the hospita- 
lity of our host. Are there no shipwrecks on this rocky and dan- 
gerous coast ? 

The same gentleman observed farther, that intelligent and re- 
spectable travellers should be cautious of relating even truths when 
improbable. To my understanding, however, it appears that facts, 
attested by credible witnesses, are the foundation of all knowledge, 
moral and physical, and should not unnecessarily be withheld. 

* Cape Clear lies still farther to the south ; but it is a separate 
island. 



266 

proper season, large heaps are commonly left, which 
are used in manuring the ground. On comparing the 
plenty which prevails on this coast, with the scarcity 
of animal food elsewhere, one cannot refrain from 
speculative theories on the great advantage which 
would arise from transporting people hither, from the 
inland pasture countries, to assist in curing the fish, 
and also from the establishment of manufactures, in 
such an abundant country. But whilst the subdivi- 
sion of land, and the encouragement of new comers, 
depend on private, not public interests, advantages 
of this nature must be left to find their own level ; 
and thousands of human beings must still be doomed 
to suffer comparative want in one district, whilst food 
more than sufficient to feed ten times their number 
is left to putrefy on the ground in another. 

The vessels used here for fishing, called hookers^ 
appear to be peculiar to this coast: the principal 
place for building them is Kinsale : they are rigged 
with a single mast, placed very forward, which carries 
a large mainsail, with peak and boom ; they have also 
a small foresail ; but, though provided with a bow- 
sprit, it is seldom used : they sail with uncommon 
velocity ; go very near the wind ; may be navigated 
by a few hands, and are remarkable for their buoy- 
ancy ; so -that those of a large size, although built 
without decks, are considered as perfectly safe, and 
are frequently taken far out to sea. It is here asserted 



267 

that they are capable of outsailing all other small 
craft; but a similar opinion is maintained on other 
coasts, in favour of boats of a very different descrip- 
tion. That the hooker, however, is a vessel of extra- 
ordinary excellence, there can be no doubt ; and I 
have frequently heard it highly spoken of by naval 
officers. 

At Baltimore we embarked for Innisharkin-island, 
the chief object of curiosity on which is a ruined ab- 
bey. From the numerous remains of monasteries, 
situated on islands along this coast, and not only on 
such as were distinguished for the fertility of their 
soil, but even on barren rocks, (as those for instance 
called the Skeligs, near Bolus-head, in Kerry,) it ap- 
pears that the Irish monks had a strong partiality for 
the retirement of such places. The abbey of Innis- 
harkin. was not extensive ; but its remains display 
more taste than is usually observable in similar edi- 
fices in Ireland. It is regarded as a spot of peculiar 
sanctity, by the people of the neighbouring district, 
and the cemetery is still used. 

We next proceeded to Cape Clear-island, which is 
about three miles long and two broad, and contains 
fifteen hundred inhabitants. The people consider 
themselves a superior race to those of the main land, 
and have such an extraordinary predilection for their 
Utile community, that he who ventures to choose a 
wife elsewhere, is immediately sent to Covent/i/y and 



268 

obliged ultimately to quit the island. In the burial- 
ground of a ruined chapel, in the centre of the island, 
many bones of gigantic size were shewn to us, and 
the natives still boast of uncommon strength of body ; 
but, whatever their corporeal powers may be, their 
stature does not at present exceed that of the inha- 
bitants of the neighbouring shores. The soil is far 
from being fertile, and feeble exertions are made to 
supply, by industry, the deficiencies of nature. Po- 
tatoes, oats, and barley, are the chief produce ; sea 
wrack and sand the common manure. When the 
weed can be procured in sufficient quantities, at the 
proper season, it is dug into the earth ; but, for the 
most part, it is only strewed over the surface after 
the seed is committed to the ground. The abun- 
dance of fish makes the people negligent of agricul- 
ture, and they are rendered yet more indolent by the 
immoderate use of spirituous liquors, which are smug- 
gled in large quantities into the island. We were told 
that there was not a house on it, which was not plen- 
tifully supplied with this deleterious beverage. No 
sooner was it known that we had not come amongst 
them with any bad intention, than the people of the 
houses which we entered, immediately brought forth 
bottles of spirits ; and were but ill pleased that we 
went away without drinking a dram. 

Coarse woollen cloth is manufactured here for do- 
mestic use, which, instead of being thickened by a 



269 

mill, is placed on hurdles in a stream or pool of wa- 
ter, and trampled under foot by females. The em- 
ployment generally falls on the young and active, 
who prepare for the task b} tucking up their petti- 
coats very high ; and, far from betraying any symp- 
toms of bashfulness, at their unusual nakedness, they 
rather seem pleased at having an opportunity of dis- 
playing their nimbleness and dexterity : it is a merry 
occupation, indeed, which wears more the appearance 
of pastime than labour.* 

Cape Clear-island is pleasingly varied with hill and 
valley, particularly on the southern side, where it 
presents to the Atlantic a steep inaccessible cHff. 
The coast, in general, is bold and rock-bound ; but 
there are several commodious landing-places in the 
little bays and inlets with which it is indented. The 
rock consists of coarse argillaceous schistus, nearly 
resembling that of the main shore ; but the strata are 
more distinct, and form a larger angle with the plane 
of the horizon : In some places their position is nearly 
vertical. The only mineral production on the island, 
of apparent rarity in this district, is a fine grained 
siliceous sand-stone, applicable to the nicest purposes 
of architecture : the arches and window frames of the 



* In the north of Ireland, it is customary for girls to wash thread 
in a similar manner, by dancing upon it in tubs of water ; and it is 
not less a scene of merriment. 



270 

abbey of Innisharkin, and many of its ornaments, are 
formed of this stone. 

At the south-western point of the island, on a lofty 
mass of rock which overhangs the sea, and can only 
be approached by a very narrow path, the remains 
are to be seen of a large castle. As its position is re- 
mote from all the landing-places, one would imagine 
it was rather erected for the purpose of ensuring 
a secure retreat to a garrison, than defending the 
shores. The view, looking down from the battle- 
ments which guard the brink of the precipice upon 
the waves below, is truly awful. Though the air was 
remarkably still, and the sea to appearance calm, yet 
the sudden opposition given by the rocks to the swell 
which never forsakes the waters of the Atlantic, and 
to the current of the tide, occasioned breakers of im- 
mense height, whose roar resounded along the shores : 
what then must be the terrific grandeur of the scene, 
when the mighty billows are impelled against this cliff 
by all the fury of the storm ! 

The elevated grounds of the Cape command a dis- 
tinct prospect of the southern coast of Ireland, for 
upwards of fifty miles, from Mizen-head, at the 
mouth of Dunmanus-bay, to the Old Head of Kin- 
sale. The shore is every where extremely bold, 
though the great height of the mountains, to the 
west of the Cape, gives an appearance of compara- 
tive tameness to the coast in an opposite direction. 



271 

Dunmanus-bay, Bantry-bay, Kenmare-river, and the 
great estuaries of this coast, are all bounded by chains 
of mountains, which run nearly parallel to each other 
in a south-west direction, and terminate in lofty capes. 
Mizen-head, the first of these which meets the eye of 
the spectator at Cape Clear, obstructs, owing to its 
great elevation, the prospect of the more distant 
points J but many of the mountains of Kerry are 
plainly observable above it. 

It was our intention to cross from Cape Clear to 
Crook-haven, and enter on the opposite western shore, 
which terminates in the promontory, called Mizen- 
head. The boatmen, desirous of avoiding the labour 
of the oar, had persuaded us to wait in expectation 
of a breeze, till the latest moment that it was possible 
to remain on the island, without risking the danger 
of being out during the night, at which time it is dif- 
ficult to find the entrance of the port. Their stay, 
however, was of no avail ; a perfect stillness perva- 
ded the heavens ; and when we committed ourselves 
to the ocean, the sun had nearly terminated his 
course : but whatever uneasiness arose from the tar- 
dy progress of the rowers, was more than counter- 
balanced by the glorious spectacle of the sun sinking 
in the waves of the Atlantic ; and the extraordinary 
beauty of the coast, whose promontories and moun- 
tain tops, long after the luminary had disappeared 
from our eyes, displayed the greatest variety of lively 



272 

warm tints ; whilst their bases, suffused with sombre 
gray, were scarcely distinguishable from the sea out 
of which they a,rose. 

Crooked or Crook-haven is a long inlet, which lies 
in a direction almost parallel to that of the coast, be- 
ing bounded on one side by mountains, and on the 
other by a peninsula of low rocks which separates it 
from the ocean. The anchorage is every where good, 
and a fleet of the largest vessels could ride in it with 
perfect ease : from its sheltered situation, it is deem- 
ed one of the securest harbours on the coast, and is 
a common place of resort, in bad weather, for home- 
ward-bound West Indian ships. As we proceeded up 
the haven, we were entertained by the sight of nu- 
merous seals playing about the boat ;, one of which 
rose above the water very close to us, with a salmon 
of large size in his jaws. At the first effort he nearly 
bit it through the middle, and then, making two or 
three snaps, like a dog, devoured the whole almost 
instantaneously : we distinctly heard the craunching 
of the bones between his teeth : yet some naturalists 
assert, that seals always eat their prey beneath the 
water. The power of catching so swift a fish as the 
salmon demonstrates their great dexterity in the 
water, notwithstanding the apparent unwieldiness of 
their form : the boatmen assured us no fish could 
swim faster. These animals are found in great abun- 
dance along the south-western coast of Ireland ; but. 



273 

valuable as they are on account of their skins, and the 
great quantity of oil which they yield, they are pur- 
sued for profit less frequently than for pastime. To 
attack them in their rocky caves is deemed a service 
of danger, as they bite with great ferocity, and some- 
times defend themselves obstinately. The people, we 
were informed, prepare for the encounter by tying 
small bags of charcoal round their legs and arms, un- 
der an idea that, if the seal feels it crackle beneath 
his teeth, he will relinquish his hold, mistaking the 
noise for the crash of the bones, and the destruction 
of his enemy : but, as I never heard of any person 
who had absolutely made the experiment, I suspect 
that this must be a vulgar prejudice : such an ima- 
ginary defence, however, inspires confidence and cool- 
ness in the attack, and the conquest then becomes 
more easy. 

At the head of Crook-haven stands a small village, 
which contains a few fishermen's huts and a public- 
house. Here we were preparing to stop for the night, 
as there was no town within fifteen miles. Salt-fish, 
potatoes, and whisky, the common fare of the coun- 
try, the house afforded in abundance ; but it contain- 
ed only one miserable bed, to which a great-coat and 
the floor were far preferable. Many minutes, how- 
ever, had not elapsed after our arrival, when the cler- 
gyman of the parish, who had observed our boat pro- 
ceeding up the haven, and had learned that it con- 



i274 

tained strangers who were not likely to find comfort* 
able accommodation in the village, came to invite us 
to his house. We gladly accompanied him home, and 
felt no small pleasure at the sudden transition, from 
a miserable hut and the brawls of drunken fisher- 
men, to a commodious habitation and an agreeable 
and polished society. 

The traveller who finds the inconveniences of his 
journey lessened, or its pleasures heightened, by the. 
attention of the inhabitants of the country through 
which he passes, must have a cold heart not to feel 
lively sentiments of gratitude for the kindness he re- 
ceives. Far from depreciating qualities which do ho- 
nour to human nature, by arguing with the casuist 
that hospitality is the virtue of countries thinly inha- 
bited, where it is practised more frequently for the 
indulgence of the resident who finds himself cut oft* 
from society, than for the benefit of the passing stran- 
ger, the generous mind will attribute nobler motives 
to the man who, banishing every shadow of suspicion 
and distrust, freely opens his doors, and spreads his 
hospitable board for those whom he has never seen 
before, whom he expects not, perhaps, ever to meet 
again. 

The country to the west of Crook-haven is wild and 
rocky, and there is nothing peculiarly interesting in 
the scenery, until Dunmanus-bay opens to view : its 
first appearance resembles that of a spacious lake 



275 

surrounded with mountains : nor is the nature of the 
{)lace fully disclosed, until, on approaching the shore, 
the Atlantic ocean is discovered between the lofty 
capes which guard the entrance of the bay. 

Along the water's-edge, there are considerable 
tracts of sloping ground under cultivation ; but the 
quantity remaining waste, consisting chiefly of salt 
marshes, is much greater, though seemingly capable 
of being drained, and converted to profit, at a mode- 
rate expense. The population is very thin, and, from 
the number of ruined castles and churches along the 
shores, probably much inferior to what it was for- 
merly. 

At the head of the bay lies an extensive vale, every 
part of which affords delightful views towards the 
sea ; and, on crossing the mountains which bound it 
on the west, the eye has scarcely lost sight of Dun- 
manus, when a sudden prospect of Bantry-bay bursts 
upon it, which is still more spacious, and bordered 
by mountains of greater elevation. The scenery of 
each of the great estuaries of this coast is distin- 
guished by so many noble features, that it would be 
difficult to determine which is entitled to the pre- 
eminence. Bantry-bay, however, possesses one ad- 
vantage over the others, in being adorned with a 
considerable extent of wood along the upper parts of 
its shores 5 which, though not of ancient growth, de- 



276 

rives importance from being situated on the slope of 
the mountains. 

The town of Bantry stands on the eastern shore, at 
the upper part of the bay j its extent is inconsider- 
able, and the houses in general are of mean appear- 
ance. None but very small vessels can approach it ; 
and the only advantage it seems to enjoy from its vi- 
cinity to the water, is an abundant supply of fish, — 
one which it possesses in common with every other 
place on the coast. 

The seat of Lord Bantry, at the distance of some- 
what less than a mile from the town, is beautifully 
situated in a rich park which reaches down to the 
water's edge. The bay in front of it is about six 
English miles across ; and studded with islands, be- 
yond which are seen the woods of Glengariff and a 
long chain of lofty mountains. Whiddy, the largest 
of the islands, contains near a thousand acres, and is 
occupied by his lordship's farms. The variety of the 
soil is very remarkable : it affords bog, rocks, sand, 
and stiff clay ; whilst other parts under cultivation, 
of a loamy nature, are distinguished for their fertili- 
ty. There are two lakes on this island ; one. of which 
yields fresh and the other salt water, although they 
are both nearly on the same level, and only separated 
by a very narrow interval. 

The shores of the bay are very rocky, and the soil 
in general meagre. The prevailing rock is argillace- 



' 277 

ous schistus ; but a great variety of stones was obser- 
vable along the beach, amongst which were many 
large boulders of granite. The summits of the moun- 
tains are formed of a siliceous rock, precisely similar 
to that in the vicinity of KiUarney : limestone is 
found at the head of the bay, and also marie ; but 
the latter is not in much esteem, probably from the 
over great proportion of argillaceous earth. The best 
manure is a certain species of sand, formed of white 
coralline finely comminuted, which is sought for with 
still greater avidity, and continues much longer effi- 
cacious in the ground, than that at Clonikelty : it is 
procured by means of dredges, from a bank which 
has hitherto afforded an inexhaustible supply. 

Great pains have been taken, since the visit of the 
French fleet in the year 1 796, to fortify Bantry-bay, 
and numerous batteries have been erected both on 
the shores and on the islands : but the utility of these 
works is very doubtful, as ships may sail up without 
passing near them ; and, even if it were possible 
to secure the entrance to Bantry, other estuaries re- 
main open, still more inviting to an enemy. It is 
somewhat remarkable, that, though the French made 
choice of Bantry for their rendezvous, it was one of 
the very worst places, for a descent, on the whole 
coast of Ireland, as the shores, in almost every part, 
are rock-bound \ and, in stormy weather, covered 
wdth a surf which forbMs the approach of boats, ex- 



278 

cepting in a few small coves and creeks, where a 
large force could not be landed without much delay. 
The southern coast can never be effectually protect- 
ed by batteries : on its ships and armies the nation 
must rely for defence against invasion. 

After having spent some days at Lord Bantry's^ 
under whose polite guidance we received the high- 
est gratification from the beauty and variety of the 
scenery in different excursions along the shores, we 
proceeded in his lordship's barge for about ten miles 
down the bay, and landed at the opposite side, at a 
place called Reen, where we were hospitably receiv- 
ed by a clergyman. The wildness of the place, and 
the rude state of the inhabitants, may be exemplified 
by the circumstance of the plough having remained 
absolutely unknown there until it was introduced by 
this reverend gentleman. Immense crowds immedi- 
ately flocked down from the neighbouring mountains 
to examine the novel instrument-; and its operations 
were beheld with wonder. To those of his parishion- 
ers who were inclined to employ it in the cultivation 
of their ground, the proprietor readily offered to 
lend it, and numerous applications were consequent- 
ly made. Shortly, however, the plough ceased to be 
in request ; even the sight of it appeared to be cau- 
tiously shunned. Th^t an instrument productive of 
such an obvious and immediate slaving of labour 
should be thus discarded, seemed somewhat extraor- 



279 

dinary : but to unravel the mystery was not difficult. 
The people had been reminded that their forefathers 
had dug the ground ; that the plough was an inno- 
vation. An unanimous resolution was instantly made 
to follow in the steps of their ancestors : every argu- 
ment to the contrary proved ineffectual ; and when 
-we. visited Reen, the ground still continued to be 
cultivated with the spade. * 

We had been led to expect the sight of a noble 



* I gave this account from the information of the worthy resi- 
dent rector of the parish, by whom we were most hospitably and 
ki;idly received on our journey. The author of the Cork Survey, 
,/liowever, (page 289,) takes upon him, in very unequivocal language, 
to contradict it altogether; and on the strength of the very same 
authority which I relied upon for my information. To reconcile this 
contrariety of evidence, Mr Townsend, in an explanatory letter, sup- 
poses that our worthy host might have amplified a little, by way of 
amusing strangers. 

Mr Townsend says, " The resident rector of the parish assures me, 
that the use of this implement is increasing, and that there are now 
eight ploughs, where, twelve or fifteen years ago, there were but 
three." The Cork Survey was published in 1810; and twelve or fif- 
teen years before that period, that is, about the year 1795 or 1798, 
there were only three ploughs. We visited Reen in the year 1800, 
and the rector had been established there, I believe, for some years 
preceding. Now the rector certainly had more than one plough ; and 
if the number in his possession, whether tvro or three, be subtracted 
from the least number, which Mr Townsend admits, viz. three, the 
remainder will be found to approximate very nearly, if not accurate- 
ly, with the statement I have given. 

Heaven forbid that the reign of ignorance and barbarity should 
be everlasting ! It is most gratifying to hear of the change which a 
iew years have occasioned, even in this obscure district. 



280 

water-fall, in the vicinity of Reen, called Adragole, 
which Dr Smith has described as the most lofty in 
Ireland : but, on approaching the spot, we found 
it quite dry ; and it was only from the drooping 
weeds, and discoloration of the rocks, that the course 
of the water could be traced. In winter, it must be 
a very grand object, as the height of the fall is be- 
tween three and four hundred feet, and an immense 
body of water tumbles down the cliff. We were in- 
formed, that, during that season, and after heavy rains, 
four other falls are distinguishable at the same time, 
each of which is nearly as high as that of Adragole : 
the latter derives its chief supply from a large lake 
on Hungry-hill. 

From Reen we proceeded by land to Beare-haven, 
crossing in our route the summit of Hungry-hill, or 
mountain, as it should rather be called, the most ele- 
vated land in this part of the country. It abounds 
with lakes, one of which, very near its summit, af- 
fords large quantities of trout ; whilst others, situated 
lower down the hill, yield none : this diflerence is 
probably rather to be ascribed to accident, than to 
any material difference in the qualities of the water. 

The prospect from the summit of Hungry-hill is 
extremely extensive. Every creek and inlet on Ban- 
try-bay appears as conspicuous as on a map; and 
beyond the mountains, which bound it on the east, 
are seen Cape Clear, and a long extent of the south- 



281 

ern coast : in the opposite direction Kenmare-river 
opens to view, and the vast mountains of Kerry. 

The country between Hungry-hill and the town of 
Beare-haven was much better cultivated than that to- 
wards the head of the bay, and the population appear- 
ed more numerous. Agriculture has been much pro* 
moted, throughout this country, by the Cork mer- 
chants ; who have built store-houses in suitable posi- 
tions along the coast, where clerks are stationed to 
purchase corn, whenever the farmers of the adjacent 
districts find it convenient to bring it for sale ; and 
in general they prefer disposing of their grain in this 
manner, to the labour and uncertainty of cariying it 
to a distant market. The low grounds are devoted 
to tillage ; and on the hills are fed numerous herds of 
cows, from whose produce butter of the best quality 
is made, which is all sent to Cork. It is in this part 
of the country that the small breed of cattle is preser- 
ved, of which mention has already been made. The 
bulls are extremely fierce : in two or three instances 
we found whole villages in arms, to drive them back 
to the hills, which they had left in order to attack 
their rivals at the opposite side of the valley : they 
challenge each other with dreadful bellowings ; and 
when they meet, the conflict is obstinate and some- 
times fatal. 

Beare-haven was formerly defended by a strong 
castle, and was a place of no small importance in the 



282 

fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the Irish chief- 
tains maintained a frequent intercourse with Spain. 
The town stands in a convenient and pleasing posi- 
tion, on the banks of a small inlet of the sea ; but the 
houses are poor, and few in number. The only ob- 
jects of peculiarity here seemed to be the tombs in 
the church-yard, which were of a pyramidal form. 
The church was in ruins, and the few families of the 
established religion met at the house of the clergy- 
man : the case was the same at Reen. 

At Beare-haven we again embarked on the sea, 
with an intention of proceeding to Dursey-island, at 
the extremity of the long peninsula which separates 
Bantry-bay from Kenmare-river. The aspect of the 
coast below this place was bleak and desolate ; it 
bore no trace of cultivation ; and the only human 
beings we saw for many miles, w^ere a few aged indi- 
viduals who sat fishing on the rocks. Immense flocks 
of sea fowl hovered over the waves in quest of prey ; 
and, as the boat passed under the shore, thousands 
more of various kinds, that lay concealed in the hol- 
lows of the cliffs, alarmed at our approach, took wing, 
and flitted around us with loud screams of the most 
discordant nature imaginable. These savage sounds, 
combined with the hoarse roar of the billows and 
the gloomy aspect of the tall impending piles of 
black rocks, gave something of horror to the scene, 
which was not relieved by the boundless prospect of 



283 

the vast Atlantic, or by the consideration that we 
had committed ourselves to its waves in a frail and 
leaky boat. More than six hours had elapsed from 
the time of our departure from Beare-haven ; when, 
perceiving that our rowers were exhausted with fa- 
tigue, that the flood tide opposed their progress, and 
that Crow-head, which terminates the peninsula, still 
lay at a great distance, we intimated our desire to be 
put on shore at a place where the cliff appeared ac- 
cessible : but the men requested us to confide a little 
longer in their exertions, assuring us that, if the tide 
had risen to a certain height, the voyage would soon 
be over. On asseverations which had so often proved 
fallacious much reliance was not to be placed : in this 
instance, however, we were agreeably surprised by 
perceiving the boat almost immediately directed to- 
wards a break or chasm in the cliff, which afforded, 
as we were informed, a short passage into Dursey- 
sound. It was so narrow as barely to admit the boat ; 
and on each side was guarded by walls of rock of 
vast height, which, approaching at the top, obscured 
the light of heaven, and cast an awful gloom over the 
water below. On entering it, the ocean was soon 
lost to our view ; but the roaring of the waves conti- 
nued to resound through the vaults of the passage, 
and, increasing as we advanced, intimated that seas 
still more agitated than those which we had left lay 
- beyond it : but it was merely the effect of the echoes, 



284 

for, in a few minutes, we found ourselves in a calm 
sheltered basin, whose shores, well cultivated, and 
studded with houses, appeared highly grateful to an 
eye wearied by the long-continued view of barren 
rocks and immeasurable expanse of ocean. This ba- 
sin is situated between Crow-head and Dursey-island, 

Dursey-island is about three miles long, and two 
wide. It contains several villages, and in some parts 
is tolerably well cultivated. The inhabitants, like 
most others on this coast, are well provided with food 
and raiment, and seem to be a very contented happy 
tace of people. One would wish, however, that the 
pursuits of honest industry were more attended to 
than smuggling and shipwrecks, the principal sources 
of their wealth at present. The numberless insula- 
ted rocks on this coast are productive of the utmost 
danger to vessels which are so unfortunate as to be 
drifted towards the land during the night : at the dis- 
tance of miles from the main shore we perceived se- 
veral, which did not appear larger than the hull of a 
small vessel. 

The most curious of the rocks within sight of Dur* 
sey are those called the Skeligs, which were once the 
seat of several monasteries and chapels, whose re- 
mains are still visible. They are quite barren, but 
abound with springs of good water. It is said that 
they consist entirely of marble ; a remarkable cir- 
cumstance, if true, as the other islands are compo- 



285 

sed of argillaceous and siliceous rocks, and no calca- 
reous matter is found on the opposite coast much 
nearer than the lake of Killarney. The Gannet, or 
Solan goose, breeds on these rocks, and is never seen, 
if current report is to be believed, on any other part 
of the coast of Ireland. 

Dursey island affords specular iron ore, of which 
we found many beautiful specimens adhering to 
quartz, in flat hexaedral crystals : searches were for- 
merly made for the ore, in different parts of the 
island, by sinking deep pits, which still remain ; but 
of the quantity that was procured we could learn 
nothing. 

At this place we were met by O'Sullivan M'Finan 
Duff, who conducted us in a boat to his house, which 
is agreeably situated at the head of an inlet, about 
fifteen miles from the mouth of Kenmare-river. This 
gentleman is regarded as the chief of the O'Sullivans 
in this district, and, as a mark of respect, is simply 
addressed by his surname. The O'SuUivan-TWor^,* or 
head of the eldest branch of the family, according to 
their genealogy lately printed in London, is an Eng- 
lish baronet : the O* was dropped some time before 
the family settled in England. 

Of the Ardea branch of this family some particulars 



* More signifies great^ and was a title anciently attached to the 
head of the sept. 



286 

were communicated to me by Mr Beltz, of the He- 
rald's college, of a nature so extraordinary, that 1 
shall make no apology for inserting them in this place. 

In the twelfth year of the reign of Queen Eliza- 
beth, Sir Owen O'Sullivan, in order to establish a 
substantial title to the countries he then held, surren- 
dered them to the crown, and received a formal grant 
thereof by patent. This measure gave rise to a long 
suit at law between Sir Owen and his nephew Donel 
M*Donel O'Sullivan ; the latter of whom endeavour^ 
ed to prove that his uncle had usurped the posses- 
sion at the death of his (Donel's) father. Sir Owen, 
on the contrary, pleaded that the possession of the 
estates had fallen to him by the laws of Tanistry,* 
and had been afterwards irrevocably established by 
the letters patent. 

The suit terminated in a commission being issued 

* " Tanistry, among the Irish, was an ancient law of succession, 
whether to regal power, or to any princely dignity to which landed 
property was annexed, whereby, according to its primitive nature 
and institution, the eldest male among the near kinsmen of the last 
ruling prince, (legally succeeding) and of the same name and stock, 
was constitutionally to succeed him, by the right of seniority, unless 
some natural or accidental infirmity had rendered him incapable of 
governing. Tanaiste, or Taniste, was the distinguishing appellation, 
or title, of the senior and presumptive successor in every princely 
family." — Vallancey. A law more calculated to produce family 
dissensions, and public disturbance, could not well have been devi- 
sed ; as it was possible that cousins might lay claim to the succes- 
sion, between whom no actual difference of age existed, or at least 
was allowed to exist. 



287 

under the great seal, dated at Dublin the 18th July, 
in the thirty-fifth of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, di- 
recting Sir Thomas Norreys, vice-president of Mun- 
ster, and others, to partition and plot out, by certain 
limits and boundaries, the territories, hereditaments, 
castles, &c., of Beare, Bantry, Ardea, and others, be- 
longing to the O'Sullivans ; which partition was ef- 
fected by an instrument dated at Mallow 15th Janu- 
ary, 1593. The castle and dependencies of Beare 
were allotted to Donel ; and Bantry, &c., to Sir 
Owen ; saving only to Sir Philip O'Sullivan, younger 
brother to Sir Owen, the castle of Ardea and its de- 
pendencies. Attempts, however, were made, a few 
years afterwards, to wrest the castle of Ardea from 
the lawful possessor, pursuant to the old custom of 
tanistry ; whereupon an appeal was made to the lord* 
deputy of Ireland ; and, upon the petition of the in- 
jured party, a copy was granted of the above-men- 
tioned instrument of partition. Sir Philip's heir was 
secured in his rights ; and the family continued to 
maintain possession of the castle, until it was forfeited 
during the civil wars. 

In the year 1 802, Mr Beltz, having had occasion 
to visit the south of Ireland, stopped at the house of 
O'Sullivan M*Finan Duff; where, inquiring, through 
curiosity, if any of the Ardea branch of that family 
remained in existence, he was informed that a cot- 
tager, in very humble circumstances, lived in the 



neighbouring mountains, who was reputed to be the 
lineal descendant of Sir Philip. Desirous of an inter- 
view with him, a message was sent to that effect : the 
ruins of Ardea castle, on the banks of Kenmare ri- 
ver, were fixed upon as the place of rendezvous ; and, 
pursuant to appointment, the man, accompanied by 
his whole family, appeared there on the allotted day. 
Aware, in some measure, of the object of the inter- 
view, he had brought in his hand a bundle of parch- 
ments and papers, which he opened and spread on 
the grass. They were all in a mouldering state, and 
nearly obhterated by the damp and smoke of his ca- 
bin. Of their purport he knew nothing : no person, 
he said, to whom he had ever showed them, not even 
the priest of the parish himself, had been able to read 
them ; but, as they had been handed down from fa- 
ther to son, for many generations, he had preserved 
them with a scrupulous care to the best of his ability. 
Mr Beltz, prior to his examination of these wri- 
tings, wished to assure himself of the identity of the 
person who brought them : he therefore put nume- 
rous questions to him, each of which was answered 
with such precision, that no doubt could remain of 
the man being the actual lineal descendant of Sir 
PhiHp O'SulHvan. It appeared that he was the seventh 
in descent from Sir Philip,* which, allowing thirty 

• It is probable that the Christian names of the family contribu- 



289 

years for each generation, made up a period of two 
hundred and ten years ; nearly agreeing with the 
date of the first settlement of the family at Ardea. 
Mr Beltz then took up one of the parchments, and, 
to his surprise, found that it was the actual copy of 
the deed of partition which had been granted to Sir 
Philip's heirs, upon petition to the lord-deputy of 
Ireland, in the year 1613. He next discovered the 
original draft of the petition, with several other wri- 
tings equally ancient, which it would have been im- 
possible to have decyphered, owing to their mouldy 
state, if he had not happened previously, whilst pass- 



ted in some measure to assist the memory in this instance. The ac- 
count given by the man of his genealogy was as follows : — 

r Who first came to Ardea ; probably soon 
Philip } after the date of the deed of partition, 
I I in 1593. 

Daniel M*Philip. 
I 

Owen M*Daniel. 



Daniel M'Owen, 
I 



Owen M*Daniel. 
Dermond M^Owen. 



Kerry M*Dermond, the informant'. 
T 



290 

ing through DubKn, to have taken copies of the same 
in the record office. 

That writings of such a nature should thus be pre- 
served for almost two centuries, and that an illite- 
rate man, whose family for generations had not en- 
joyed a condition above that of peasants, should be 
able to give such a detailed account of his genealogy, 
is a circumstance to which a parallel would not rea- 
dily be found, except amongst the Irish. As to Mr 
Beltz, who was able to explain these writings, and to 
tell so much more of the history of the family than 
the poor man himself knew, he was regarded as a 
prophet, and found no small difficulty in disengaging 
himself from the importunities of the people. 

Kenmare river is very improperly so called : it is 
ftn inlet of the sea, which deserves the name of a bay 
or haven ; and it is difficult to determine how it came 
to be otherwise called, as no river falls into it of suf- 
ficient importance to have given it a name. It is 
about thirty English miles in length, and varies in 
breadth from two to seven miles. The shores are 
diversified by numerous creeks and coves; and it 
abounds with islands, many of which are extraordi- 
narily beautiful. In some places the mountains rise 
abruptly from the water ; in others, a considerable 
extent of sloping ground intervenes between them. 
The views on every side are highly picturesque ; but 
the most striking parts of the scenery are where the 

10 



291 

lofly peaks of the Kerry mountains are seen through 
valleys, rising in the distance, and gradually receding 
behind each other till they are lost in the air. Ken- 
mare river is more sheltered than any of the other 
estuaries of the south-west coast j so that the water, 
notwithstanding its great expanse and the influence 
of the tide, remains commonly very tranquil, and 
sometimes, by its smooth and glassy surface, adds 
much to the beauty of the scenery. Some parts of 
the shores are well cultivated ; but, on the whole, 
they are very thinly inhabited. 

We sailed up the river in 0'Sullivan*s boat, intend- 
ing to land at Nedheen or Kenmare town ; but the 
wind having failed, and the day drawing towards a 
close, we judged it advisable to run the boat on shore, 
and to proceed thither on foot. The country where 
we landed was covered with rocks, swamps, and heath, 
over which we advanced for some miles, without being 
well aware of our proper course. At last we came to 
a road ; and, on following it, reached a village ro- 
mantically situated near a river, whose banks, cover- 
ed with wood, were so steep and lofty, that the bridge 
across it, notwithstanding the excavation and lower- 
ing of the road on each side, was upwards of sixty 
feet above the level of the water. The river above 
it, confined in a narrow channel, tumbled over rocks 
in numberless cascades, whose water sparkled through 
the embowering trees which shot from the cliffs at 



292 

each side ; whilst below the bridge it expanded to a 
considerable breadth, forming a deep basin, in which 
several vessels lay at anchor under the shores. The 
great elevation of the bank, and the consequent shade 
that is diffused over the surface of the water, render 
its appearance extremely dark ; and the river is known 
by the appropriate name of the Blackwater, 

The sun had sunk below the horizon when we ar- 
rived at this place ; but the rich gleam of light still 
continued to illumine the western sky, which afford- 
ed us a distinct view of the surrounding landscape. 
A perfect calm pervaded the heavens j the blue curl- 
ing smoke of the village chimneys rose slowly through 
the dark woods ; and the stillness of the scene was 
only interrupted by the sound of water gushing over 
the rocks, and the wild plaintive notes of the native 
Irish airs which resounded through the vale. We had 
met with nothing more interesting on our journey ; 
and, forgetful that we had to seek a lodging for the 
night, remained on the heights opposite to the village 
contemplating the beauty of the scene, till the shades 
of evening, and the thick white mists which rose 
from the river, involved every object in obscurity. 
No accommodation whatever was to be procured in 
the village j we were therefore under the necessity of 
walking on to Nedheen, about eight miles distant, 
where we arrived at midnight, and with difficulty got 
admittance into a miserable public-house. 



293 

Nedheen is the principal place of trade on Ken- 
mare river : it is a very small town ; and, though we 
observed some new houses, has, on the whole, an ap- 
pearance of decay. Perhaps this is to be attributed 
to the very bad state of the roads which lead to it ; 
and if so, it will probably not recover very soon, as 
it seems the object of the inhabitants of Kerry rather 
to direct their new roads towards the Blackwater, 
which is a more convenient place for shipping, and 
better situated for supplying the inland district with 
foreign commodities. 

There is an abundance of excellent limestone at 
Nedheen, by means of which the hills around might 
be all readily improved ; and, if the occupiers recei- 
ved good encouragement, agriculture would flourish, 
and the country probably wear a very different as- 
pect from what it does at present. 

A wild romantic road leads from this place to Kil- 
larney, which, at the end of about six miles, disco- 
vers a beautiful prospect of the upper lake, through 
a wooded glen. Afterwards it traverses several steep 
and rugged mountains, and, winding through the 
long vale between Turk and Mangerton, approaches 
the lower lake over the rich hills of Mucruss. 

THE END. 



EDlNBURGja : 

Printed by James Ballantyne & Co, 



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